The atmosphere in the dining hall seemed quieter than usual today, but my stomach was far too empty to focus on that.
I gratefully devoured the abundant fish dishes.
It seemed they had been cooked with my being unconscious for ten days in mind; the food was so tender that it practically melted in my mouth, so I didn’t have to worry about getting indigestion. How delicious.
Clink.
But still, it seemed I couldn’t eat that much.
Despite eating less than usual, I felt full, so I put down my spoon. I was a little concerned about the leftovers, but seeing Bers devouring everything else reassured me.
She was the type of person who would eat everything, even things that appeared inedible.
Clatter.
Pondering to myself, I slightly pushed my chair back.
You should always have a friend with such a good appetite in real life. That way, you could try as many different foods as possible whenever you visited a restaurant.Why were the people around me all such light eaters?
Well, they weren’t any particularly important thoughts.
“Aren’t you going to have some tea?”
I thought about answering but then decided to remain silent, figuring I had already obediently responded more than my character usually would during our discussion just now.
Instead, I started thinking about where to go next. This was a really important matter.
After all, there would be nothing to do if I returned to my room.
Clack.
So I pondered this some more as the door to the dining hall closed behind me.
Borrowing a book from the Temple’s library felt like a poor decision since I wasn’t in the best state, and more than anything, I wanted to get out of the Temple.
After much contemplation, I also decided against going outside to draw since it would only make me feel strange. There was also no point in going to a restaurant since I had already eaten, and there weren’t even any cafes around. Ṟ𝘢ƝÔBЕ𝐬
“How is the restoration of the burned forest going…?”
“The drought is finally over…”
Suddenly, my ears caught snippets of a conversation as I passed through the hallway. They came from a conversation between priests walking in the herb garden beyond the hallway’s walls.
As I listened to their conversation, several things popped into my mind.
Considering our departure had been delayed by a few days, now was the perfect time to take care of these things.
I decided to visit the Information Guild I still owed a favor to for something they did for me not long ago.
***
“…What a mess.”
Meanwhile, in the dining hall after the Demon Knight had left.
Deathbringer finally let out the breath he had been holding. His hand patted his stomach, which had twisted into knots.
“Was the food bad? It tasted okay to me.”
“I didn’t say that because of the food… Urgh, never mind. You just continue being the way you are, iron wall.”
“…?!”
Deathbringer set down his spoon while the oblivious Inquisitor tried to determine whether his words were intended as an insult.
Normally, he would have eaten until his stomach was fit to burst, but today just wasn’t his day.
The weight of the longsword still resting in his arms felt far too heavy.
“Mmpf mmf mmmf?”
“…Could you at least swallow before speaking?”
“Are you doing that again today, young hunter?”
“Yep. Like always.”
Although there were so many things he wanted to tell and give the Demon Knight, it seemed utterly impossible under the current circumstances.
So what other choice did he have? For now, he had to do something else instead.
After all, there weren’t many opportunities for him to do this.
“Take care.”
“Will do.”
Even though he had been going out quite regularly these past few days, they still sent him off like this. He felt a slight tickle in his heart as he turned away from the group.
Free from their watchful eyes, he slipped out of the Temple. If he went a little further, he would reach Lord Ednium’s manor.
* * *
“This place is seriously hard to find…”
It was disguised as some ordinary bar or store anyway, so did it really have to be so far off the main road?
Grumbling a little, I opened the door.
The bell above the door chimed.
“Welcome… Oh, it’s you again? Back already?”
Perhaps it was because the shop had just opened for the day or because their cooking was horrible since it wasn’t their main job, but the place was pretty empty.
I ignored the owner’s greeting and just sat at the empty bar. It wasn’t like there were people at the other tables or something.
“Here, here. Have a drink!”
Clack.
In the meantime, the owner placed a drink I hadn’t ordered before me. Judging by its unusual odor and color, this was evidently no ordinary drink.
I glanced at the owner, wondering what he was hoping to convey with this. The owner, with his short gray hair tied back, opened his eyes widely.
“You paid more than needed last time, you see. Consider it a service.”
Ah, so that was what this was about.
Well, I had done them a favor by opening an information route to the closed-off Great Forest, after all.
Even if whatever information reached them was highly censored by the warchief and his aides, it would still be quite beneficial to them. If their exchange continued, there could come a time when the Information Guild recruited someone from the Great Forest.
Although the warchief probably wouldn’t just stand by and let that happen, that wasn’t my problem.
I had already written a warning regarding that in my last letter, just in case.
“Take it away.”
“You don’t like it? It’s our best liquor.”
Feeling glad to have included some precautionary advice in the letter, I placed my left hand on the bar.
Before my palm even touched the counter surface, something appeared.
Thud.
A rolled-up letter wrapped in well-cured calfskin was placed on the counter.
“Oh…”
“It’s a delivery request.”
“The same place as before?”
“No need for a reply.”
Chances were I would be long gone before the response came. I made that clear and withdrew my hand. The store owner took it from there, placing their hand on the letter next.
“The deadline?”
“None.”
“Hmm, in that case, I’ll do this one for free as a favor.”
That was something to be grateful for.
“Separate from that, I have another request.”
“Huh?”
“I want to buy all the information you’ve gathered on ‘me.’ ”
I probably wouldn’t be getting this free of charge, though.
For the first time, I voiced what I had hesitated and given up on countless times. There was no turning back now. That was what I thought.
It felt similar to when I had started interrogating Lord Bergard.
“…Wait, wait. I don’t mind selling it to you, but… why your own information?”
“Isn’t information treated as a commodity here?”
“…Ah, that’s right.”
Unless they wanted to exchange information with me, I had no reason to answer them. Instead of hoping for free service, I took out the payment I had prepared beforehand.
“Here’s your advance payment.”
“Huh?”
Two claws, each about the size of a child’s fist, fell onto the table.
As if trying to prove they weren’t anything ordinary, the platinum claws gleamed with an otherworldly light that set them apart from those of ordinary beasts.
“What… are those?”
“The Skyflow Tiger’s claws.”
“What!?”
Why was he so surprised? He should already know I had possession of the Skyflow Tiger’s corpse. Or was the Information Guild so incompetent that they didn’t even know that?
“No, I mean, I knew you had it, but I didn’t think you’d actually…”
Fortunately, that wasn't the case.
I slowly made to rise from my seat. However, the shop owner grabbed me before I could do anything more.
“Wait—!”
Swish!
Alright. I managed to pull away my hand before he could catch me. Nice.
“I wasn’t done talking.”
“So, can you not do it then?”
“That’s not it…! Ah, geez.”
The shop owner scratched his head, striding to the door. He flipped the door’s locks, completely sealing it shut. Clank, clank, clank. He did the same with the four windows.
The shop now looked as if it were officially closed.
“Let’s be clear about the terms. Only the information the guild has on you, that’s all?”
“If you have any guesses or opinions based on the data, I’ll buy those as well.”
“Alright. You’re literally buying everything we have on you, huh? It’ll take some time to gather everything…”
The store owner glanced at the claw once more.
“Do you have another one?”
How could I not? I had brought all fifteen with me.
I dropped one more claw on the table. His expression became quite strange.
“Should I have asked for two more?”
To think he actually said he planned to rip off his customer right to their face. Well, knowing they were usually like that, I knew exactly how to deal with him.
I thought back to when I went to Camborough’s Information Guild and sighed internally. If Ednium’s were just as bad, I would have postponed this request.
Clink.
Anyway, I placed another claw with the others. The owner’s eyes widened.
“Isn’t that a bit too much? This is enough for both the advance fee and the actual payment.”
“Keep your mouth shut. Even around the Guild’s people.”
“…Ah, right. So, only I should know you brought this information, huh?”
“Even the fact you know about this can’t be spread.
“In that case, the payment is a bit too low for that. Keeping a secret from my workplace is pretty hard, you know?”
Really? Then just take more.
“No, sir, don’t you know how to joke?”
“Just make sure your tongue is as heavy as the amount you received.”
I added another claw to the pile. The shop owner sighed, adjusting his glasses.
“One claw is enough to buy my silence. But instead, could you help calm my curiosity a little?”
One of the claws returned to my hands. Swish. I quickly stored it in my Inventory before it could touch my palm. I couldn’t afford to get caught doing this.
“Is there a special reason you’re buying your own information?”
Honestly, this whole situation was far from ideal for me. It was natural for money to feel far less valuable than my personal information.
But judging by this person’s expression, it seemed unlikely he would let me off with just the claws.
“The answer to that question must also remain unspoken.”
“Ah, of course, of course. It’ll be just between us.”
I contemplated whether I could truly trust this guy but quickly ceased those thoughts.
While I was in a situation where I had to urge them to keep quiet, I didn’t actually believe anything they said even though I demanded they keep it between us.
How could I trust him to not say anything? In a way, it was just like how you trusted a bank teller not to give away your account number.
“My memories have been somewhat hazy for some time now.”
And honestly… even if this information spread, it wouldn’t really hurt me. It wasn’t directly tied to my combat power and was far too vague to be considered a weakness.
What could anyone do with this information? If anything, if this got leaked, people might just go, “Oh, it must be because of his memory,” when I screwed up in the future.
Ultimately, it would be good if they didn’t say anything, but it wouldn't really matter if they did. It would just be a bonus. That was why I could speak with relief in my heart.
“Your memories…? Why?”
“That’s all I’ll answer.”
However, I could never tell anyone why my memories had disappeared. If people started thinking it might be the Demon’s doing, I would be in quite a bit of trouble.
“Well, fine. This much should be enough to settle my curiosity.”
“And the information.”
“You want your purchase of this information kept under wraps from even the guild, right? In that case, delivering it to you will be quite complicated. Gathering all the information scattered throughout our various branches will also be pretty tricky. So it will take some time. About a month and a half…? Let’s say two months to be safe.”
Two months? That was longer than I expected, but not unreasonably so.
It usually took about four to seven days to travel between cities, but if something happened, it could easily take two to three weeks. After a fight, I usually ended up resting for about two weeks.
With that in mind… I would probably get the info after passing through about two cities. I would probably be right around the middle of the Eastern region then.
“Wow, the more I think about it, the more of a hassle this sounds like. Give me back that one claw.”
Clang.
“You’re actually giving it?”
I gave back the claw without hesitation. Since earning money was quite easy while working as an adventurer, I didn’t feel much attachment to it.
“The real problem is how to get the information to you… Do you know where you might be two months from now? If you don’t, I’ll have no choice but to inform the Information Guild that you bought some information. That way, I can figure out where you are and ensure it gets delivered to you.”
That part was actually really inconvenient. I really missed the internet at times like these, recalling our recently agreed-upon schedule.
I suddenly remembered that our next destination was quite far away.
Weren’t we told it would take over a month to get there? And considering the largest Magic Tower in the East was in that city… wasn’t it almost guaranteed that something would happen?
In that case, we would probably be there for about two months, right?
“I’ll be in Bemurchen.”
“Bemurchen, got it. Then I’ll send a letter to the Adventurers’ Guild there. I’ll absolutely make sure to send it before two months pass, so you’ll just need to pick it up there.”
“Understood.”
Whatever. If it didn’t work out, I would just hang around that place longer.
With such thoughts in mind, I left the store.
Two months. This newly given grace period made my heart feel both at ease and heavy simultaneously.
* * *
“When will this hole finally get sealed up?”
Deathbringer brushed the dirt off his body, wondering whether to tell the manor’s owners about this or keep it a secret. The dirt and dust that had clung to him as he crawled through the hole was now being blown away by the wind.
“Well, thanks to it being open, I can come see you comfortably.”
With that, he opened the lid of the leather flask he had brought. Instead of water, it was filled with strong alcohol.
“Right, Emmitte?”
He chuckled and took a sip. He hadn’t touched even a drop of alcohol during his journey, but before that, he had drunk often. It stuck to his lips.
“This is alcohol, so like I always told you before, you can't have any. So here, have this instead.”
But just coming to someone’s grave and drinking all alone was kind of wrong.
Deathbringer took out a few candies he had saved and placed them on the grave. He hoped, even dead, she could taste these candies he couldn’t have while she was alive.
“…”
But after doing all that, it felt like he had run out of things to say. Over the past few days, he had come here and blabbered incessantly about all sorts of things.
How he had escaped this place and met Skyley. The events that followed and the things he had experienced. And finally, how he met the Hero’s party. What they had gone through.
Now, he didn’t have anything left to say anymore.
“Emmitte.”
No, was that really the case?
“Were you doing okay?”
He sat comfortably in front of the grave and took off his hood.
“No, you couldn’t have been okay.”
The green hair he had been hiding for various reasons, but mostly due to what had occurred in these lands, entered the sunlight again.
The golden light flowed smoothly over his dark green hair.
“Because that’s what death is like.”
The light was so intense that it stung his eyes.
Deathbringer squinted slightly at this unfamiliar sensation.
“…You know, Emmitte. When I die, I probably won’t be able to enter God’s embrace. Some might say my revenge was justified, but it ended up hurting many innocent people. It won’t change the fact that… people died because of me, either.”
However, he would get accustomed to it someday.
“But… I’ve decided not to regret my actions anymore. Yeah. Even if I can’t be with you anymore, even after death, I won’t regret it. I’ve decided that even if I chose the wrong way to go about it, I just can’t remain silent in the face of injustice.”
At some point, melting into the shadows had become as easy as breathing for him.
“So, Emmitte, don’t complain if I can’t come meet you. This is just my way of life. I can’t stay silent, and I don’t have the brains to find a better way…”
So, there would inevitably come a time when being in the light wouldn’t feel strange for him anymore as well.
“If that bothers you, just come back to life. Got it? Just rise from your grave and shout at me to just give up my life if I decide to live like that after you went and saved me. I’ll welcome you with a smile.”
So now, he had only one thing left to do.
“Instead, until that happens, I’ll keep living like this. I’ll keep surviving like this.”
He would live. Carrying the weight of this life on his shoulders.
He knew he had done wrong, so he would try to fix it from now on. But he would never forget the weight of the sins he had already committed.
He would live, expressing the anger of those unable to do so.
“Ah!”
Deathbringer got up to his feet before the grave.
He looked up at the sky, wondering whether it would rain, but the strong sunlight was still pouring down on him. It was so strong that it made his eyes well up with tears.
“That’s why I promised to come here in the evening, but I forgot again today. Am I stupid?”
He put his hood back on, uselessly blaming his memory. Regardless of his feelings, the sunlight was actually really strong, and he needed the cover of his hood to see properly.
“…Huh?”
But who the hell was that figure walking across the plain? That area didn’t have any regular paths, but since it connected to the forest, hardly anyone ever went that way.
Without realizing it, he focused his eyes, carefully examining the person. They were too far away for him to make out any details, but… he noticed a few distinct features.
Like, the black and gray colored hair, and something that looked like a sword slung diagonally over his back.
“…That’s obviously him, isn’t it?!”
But why was he going outside the city? And without anyone accompanying him!
“Contact, contact… I can’t do that right now!”
He wondered whether this was a trap. Lamenting once again that he wasn’t a wizard, he finally came to a decision.
He would follow.
It wasn’t impossible that this was a trap, but if that really was the Demon Knight… couldn’t some major incident happen if he was left alone?
Although their relationship was still rather awkward, he couldn’t just let someone who had been in a coma for more than ten days walk around this place on their own.
Deathbringer quickly hid in the tall grass of the plains and trailed the Demon Knight.
____
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