“Are you going to give up, then?”
“…?”
“I know he has no expectations of us. Even I think we’re not worthy enough for him to expect anything.”
Deathbringer almost choked up at the Inquisitor's words.
Seriously, that hopeless idealist could sometimes be more cynical than a pessimist. It was almost impossible to find out what was going on in that brain of hers.
“…It’s not to that extent. No, why do you even think like that? Didn't I tell you that you’re not incompetent?”
To begin with, what he’d said… What he’d really meant with those words…
“Thank you for saying that. But if we think about it a bit more, you're clearly a lot better than I am.”
Hearing the Inquisitor's words, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he just lowered his head.
The Inquisitor couldn't understand the true meaning behind those words or why he had no other choice but to resign himself like that.“No, I… I really am just an insignificant person. If our goals didn't align, we wouldn't even be sharing the same space… That's the type of person I am.”
“You…”
“And the same goes for you.”
“…?!”
Deathbringer suddenly remembered something the Archmage had told him. Something about the Demon Knight avoiding him because he was feeling confused. That he, somewhere in his heart, actually cared for him.
Yes, that might be true. No, it had to be true.
Whether it was just reluctant affection or pity, if not for the affection built up between them, enough for the Demon Knight to want to keep him alive, what other reason would he have to tolerate him like that? In that moment when the Demon Knight couldn't bring himself to cut him down and had dropped his blade, what reason would the Demon Knight have to show that kind of expression other than some form of affection?
“You know, iron wall?”
But… even so.
“Mister is a lot more… affectionate than you think.”
Did enough of the affection that made the Demon Knight tolerate him still remain? If the Demon Knight became aware of its existence… would he even have a reason to let it stay within him?
“…I know. If he weren't, he wouldn't care for the weak like that.”
“That's not what I'm talking about. I mean… how he usually treats us.”
The Demon Knight was kind. Yes, Deathbringer was entirely certain of that. He was kind. It was to the point where even his harsh words, taciturn attitude, and rough behavior couldn't entirely hide his kindness. ℞𝐚ΝŏꞖËS̈
“He threatens to leave me behind if I become a burden to him, but when I'm truly in danger, he subtly tries to help me out. Although he seems annoyed with our behavior, he never pushes us away when we stick close to him. I think that's Mister’s… unique way of showing affection.”
At the same time, he was someone who’d devoted his life to revenge. In the Archmage's words, he was “someone who intends to stand against the Demons to his dying breath.”
But… was affection and kindness really of any value to someone like that?
“And for Mister, that affection is probably the most unnecessary emotion he has.”
For someone whose only goal was to kill all Demons and then die after achieving it, was there any emotion more useless than affection?
“Why… is affection unnecessary for him?”
“Because it'll just get in the way.”
Affection would hold people back, bind their wrists, and eventually cover their eyes, ears, and mouths, strangling them. That was what Deathbringer thought about ‘affection.’
Despite having the power to drive you crazy, it made you want to remain in this world, rendering any resistance futile, even though you had the power to break free, sometimes even driving you to die for another… That was the type of emotion ‘affection’ was to him.
“Normal people find comfort in affection and find love through it… but we aren't like that.”
It was an emotion you would find in ordinary families who weren't involved in life-threatening battles. But what would happen if such an ‘affection’ took root among those who were always fighting with their lives on the line?
It was almost guaranteed not to end well. It could sometimes lead to positive results, but more often than not, the outcome would be negative.
“That's why… I'm worried about what I should do, iron wall.”
And if that were to happen, who would suffer more misfortune, them or the Demon Knight?
“If I just stand back and do nothing, I feel like Mister Knight will just die, but would I be able to save him if I reached out? Wouldn't it just make things harder for Mister?”
Who would end up having to sacrifice more?
“Moreover, I-I…”
…Why should the Demon Knight bear the cost of having affection for him?
He had almost been forced to join the Demons’ side and betray them, attacked the Demon Knight because of that situation, and was generally pretty useless.
“…Do I even have the right to reach out to him?”
Deathbringer's words left the Inquisitor speechless. She also didn't know what was the right, or perhaps the better, path in this situation.
“…I don't know.”
And so the Inquisitor admitted it. She didn't know what she didn't know, after all.
“However, I don't think what you said is reason enough for us not to try.”
And that was why she came to that conclusion. Deathbringer furrowed his brows.
“How do you know that's the right answer?”
“I don't. I’ve never experienced or overcome anything like this before, so how could I know whether this is the right answer?”
“…If we act too rashly—”
“Then, can you guarantee acting rashly would lead to worse results than just doing nothing?”
The Inquisitor, who only wore leg armor, straightened her back with a clink. She also lifted her head, leaving not a single shadow on her face.
“Of course, doing something might give us worse results than doing nothing, but can you be sure of that? No, you can't. Isn't that why you're struggling with this so much?”
On the contrary, she seemed radiant.
“I also don't know. That’s exactly why I want to act. Ignorance isn’t an excuse for me to give up, nor does it justify abandoning the Demon Knight. Besides, running away using ignorance as an excuse isn’t my style. Nor is it to limit my options before I even tried.”
That radiance spread across her nose, cheeks, and neck, even covering the freckles and blemishes formed due to her extended exposure to the sun.
“That’s why I won’t back down. To me, inaction is far more shameful than failure.”
Seriously, that iron wall was the most stubborn and headstrong fool in the world.
“And above all, I don’t want to leave the Demon Knight like this. Why should he have to suffer and die alone? Even if he doesn’t want it, I’m definitely going to heal him. A patient needs to be treated, not left to suffer alone, only awaiting death.”
She was a Hero.
She was just the same as always.
“Right, besides, I’m not even trying to understand or sympathize with the Demon Knight! So it’s fine! I just want to stand beside him, catch him when he stumbles, need his help less often, and walk together like that!”
“…Geez. What’s this? Sophistry?”
“How is this sophistry? The Archmage said the Demon Knight only mentioned not needing our understanding and sympathy, right? So if we just don’t do those things, we should be fine!”
“Are you actually an idiot, or are you a genius pretending to be one? I seriously can’t tell.”
“…??”
“Ah, whatever. What did I even think of trying to talk to you?”
“What do you mean by that?!”
“Exactly what you heard.”
Deathbringer straightened his crouched legs. The sunlight streaming in through his hood flowed over his skin as well.
“Still… Well, okay. It’s true that a patient should be treated. Although, since Divine Power is like poison to Mister, we can’t have him treated with any clinic affiliated with the Temple.”
“I’m aware of that now.”
“…And I still haven’t apologized to him yet.”
“Do you have something to apologize for? Why haven’t you done it yet?”
“…That’s the thing. Maybe because I’ve hardly ever apologized to someone properly, it’s harder than I thought.”
“What’s so hard about apologizing? Just do it.”
“I guess it’s because I’m not as straightforward as you are.”
To be exact, it was because he was afraid of the Demon Knight’s reaction.
“…Do you think he was hurt?”
“Him? Well. I can’t really say, considering I don’t even know what you did, but it’s hard to imagine he got hurt.”
“That may be, but…"
Deathbringer blinked at the Inquisitor’s words. He had thought so as well. That was why he had swung his sword at him without a shred of hesitation.
But now, looking back…
“So he probably did get hurt after all.”
“Just what did you do, you troublemaker?”
“…Maybe it’s just me who Mister finds worthless, not the whole group.”
“What exactly did you do, you idiot!”
“Shut up… I feel like dying here.”
“Suicide is wrong! Confess and repent!!”
“Damn it…”
* * *
I had been incredibly absorbed in reading after such a long time.
I paused, noticing the paper before me was turning red. The sun was already starting to set.
“…I’ll be going now.”
“Huh… huh? Ah, are you leaving?”
Ah, had I known this would happen, I would have booked an inn in advance. I hadn’t even considered where I would be staying now that I couldn’t stay at the Temple.
“Goodbye!”
I wondered whether some rooms would still be available if I left now. With that thought in mind, I turned my back on the shop owner as he saw me off.
It was around dinner time, so I was starting to feel hungry.
“Oh my, a customer. Welcome!”
While looking for an inn, I came across something that looked simply too delicious to pass up. It was bread filled with some stir-fried vegetables.
“One of those vegetable breads.”
“One moment!”
My wallet practically flew open on its own.
“Here you go!”
“Hold on.”
I knew the bread was part of the dish and the bowl it was served in, but for me, it was far too messy to take directly. It would cover my hands in flour.
So I placed the handkerchief I’d bought earlier between my hand and the vegetable-stuffed bread. The bread was so firm that it showed no sign of getting soggy despite being filled with sauce.
Crunch.
Even when I carefully nibbled some around the edges, it still seemed pretty solid. If I didn’t want to break my teeth, I would have to be careful.
“Enjoy your meal!”
Crunch, crunch.
But it tasted pretty good.
As I left the stall, I savored the flavor of the stir-fried vegetables, which were even more delicious than I had expected.
The alternating layers of beets, cherry tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers gave the dish a crisp texture, while the sauce gave everything a tangy flavor that lingered on my tongue.
Simply put, it was extremely delicious.
I might have to buy one more of these before leaving the city.
“Brother, let’s go over there!”
“Where? Where?!”
“Over there!!”
“Leya, wait!”
“If you run too fast, you’ll fall!”
“Hehehe! Hurry up… Urgh!”
Suddenly, a little girl running past me tripped over a rock and almost fell.
My right hand instinctively moved forward, but then I stopped.
“Whoa, wah!”
Thud! Thud!
Meanwhile, the girl tried to keep her balance by taking a step, but her center of gravity had already tilted too far forward.
She was about to fall over completely.
Splat.
In response, I tossed away the bread I had been holding in my left hand and reached out. I figured I wouldn’t have enough time to switch it to my right.
Thud.
“Whoa!”
But in return, I managed to catch the girl’s arm as she was about to hit the ground.
I gently pulled the girl’s body, which was tilted forward, back.
“Are you okay?!”
“Leya, are you fine? Urgh!”
“Th-Thank you… hic!”
The children, who seemed to be friends with the girl, ran over and froze when they saw me.
“I-I’m sorry…”
“Eek. An adventurer.”
“W-We’re sorry!”
No, they didn’t even bump into me or anything, so there really was no need for them to apologize like that. If anything, I felt sorrier about hesitating to help the girl immediately over some personal feelings.
However, the kids were already scared stiff. I glanced at their trembling figures and silently continued down the road.
“H-He’s leaving…”
“That’s my first time seeing an adventurer up close.”
“He’s scary but also totally cool…”
“Was that really an adventurer? Maybe he’s a knight?”
“A knight…!”
“Urgh!”
“What? What’s the matter?”
“Someone took one bite of this food and just threw it on the ground! How rude!”
“Uwah! Seriously!”
“What a waste! If they didn’t want it, they should’ve just given it to me!”
“Wait a sec, I think we can still eat it if we just brush off the dirty part…”
And then I immediately turned back.
I knew food was precious, but kids, eating something off the ground was a bit much!
“Just get rid of the dirty part and only eat what’s inside the bread…”
“Brother, can I take this handkerchief?”
“Handkerchief? What’s this? It looks really expensive… Huh?”
A shadow fell over their round heads. The kids, who’d noticed, raised their heads. Their chubby little cheeks immediately went pale.
“Gasp!”
“Don’t eat things that have been dropped.”
First, I carefully took the bread out of the kids’ hands. They were frozen in fear, so they couldn’t even react. Thud. The bread returned to the ground.
The handkerchief? I just left it in the girl’s hand. I had bought more than one anyway, and even if I hadn’t, I could always buy another one. It wasn’t something I would use much anyway, so it wasn’t like I couldn’t give it to her.
“S-Sorry…”
“Don’t apologize to me.”
Separately, kids, you should be apologizing to your stomachs for this, not me. There weren’t any hospitals in this place, so if they got sick, it would be pretty hard to treat them.
I let out a soft sigh, looking at the three kids. My heart ached at the sight of those tiny things who were barely half my height.
“Follow me.”
“Eek!”
“I think we’re in serious trouble…”
“Moooom…”
What could I do? Some coincidences might also be fate. Things might have been different if I hadn’t seen them, but since I had, I might as well help them out a little.
I led the kids to the stall where I had brought that bread earlier.
The kids were shaking in fear, thinking I was going to punish them, and the people around were staring at us intently, but there was nothing I could do about that.
Well, what could I do if my appearance and aura were the way they were? After all, it wasn’t like I could customize my character’s appearance again.
“Four of those.”
“Oh, aren’t you the customer from earlier?”
Rather than solving this matter directly, I figured it’d be better to let the situation resolve itself naturally.
A few coins passed from my hand to the stall owner’s, and at my nod, three of the four pieces of bread I bought were passed from the owner to the kids.
“…?”
“Huh.”
“Erm… Are you giving those to us?”
“Now go.”
I even changed the filling from stir-fried vegetables to stir-fried meat, thinking they would like that better. They should eat well.
Seeing the kids hesitate, still not fully understanding the situation, I left first. I thought it might be easier for them to eat comfortably with me gone.
Tap, tap, tap!
“Hey, Leya!”
Grab!
But then someone clutched my coat. I glanced back at my coat tail, which was being gently pulled.
A little girl with brown hair was at the end of my gaze.
“Thank you, Mister Adventurer!”
She had a head covered in messy hair, a mouth with some baby teeth missing, and chubby cheeks with freckles sprinkled over her tiny nose. Her small hands were clutching both the handkerchief and the bread.
Her smile, more precious than anything that could be bought with just a few coins, filled my view. It felt similar to when I saw the store owner and his younger sister bickering in the bookshop earlier.
This indescribable feeling made my heart ache.
“…Chew well before you swallow.”
“Yes!”
Still, that faint feeling wasn’t bad. Actually, I felt much better. Today’s outing was a success.
“Bye-bye, Mister Adventurer!”
“Goodbye!”
“Thank you.”
I swallowed the surge of emotion that was about to wash over me.
“Demon Knight!!”
“…!”
And then, an unmistakable voice I’d recognize anywhere rang out behind me.
“Why didn’t you keep your promise to spar with me?!”
It was Bers.
“Ah, Demon Knight!”
“Mister!”
The Inquisitor and Deb were also there.
“Do you have any idea how long we’ve been looking for you?!”
“If you don’t feel well, go get tested quickly. It’s much more fun to spar when you’re in perfect condition.”
“Mister… Erm, h-how are you feeling…? You’re not still in pain, right…?”
I stared blankly at those two, who were either smiling brightly or chattering even while acting wary. No matter how I looked at it, they didn’t seem to want to keep their distance like I’d hoped.
“Let’s go back, Demon Knight. The wizard told us to bring you back right away.”
“Come on, buddy, let’s go.”
“Yes, let’s go. I, erm, I also have something to give you. And there’s something I wanted to say as well…”
Seriously, just what did the Archmage do? Did she completely fail to persuade them? Even though I made it that clear?
Ah, maybe the Archmage didn’t relay my words verbatim. I had used some pretty harsh words, after all.
Or… yeah. It might just be that those guys simply didn’t listen. Berserk was blatantly doing everything her own way, and the Inquisitor and Deb both had quite a rebellious streak.
“Demon Knight?”
“…Buddy, you.”
I would be lying if I claimed not to think it was impressive and quite touching. It was seriously tough to dislike people who were trying so hard to close the gap between us, even though I kept pushing them away.
“Get lost.”
But… this wasn’t what I wanted.
No, it wasn’t something I should ever want.
“Unless you’re here to inform me that we’re leaving the city.”
We needed to keep some distance between us.
Even if we were walking the same path with the goal of seeing this mission to the end, we needed to maintain enough distance between us so that it wouldn’t leave any scars when we parted ways, no matter how that might happen.
“Demon Knight…”
“Mister…?”
To put it more bluntly, whether I realized the futility of this journey and ultimately abandoned it, or I died along the way due to the lack of my skills.
Or I got slain by them as a Demon.
I needed to keep a professional distance to keep anyone from getting hurt too badly at any given moment.
Clink.
As such, with the metallic clanking of my gauntlet, I passed by them.
I didn’t even spare them a single glance. I had learned long ago that when severing a relationship, whether by choice or by force, there was no surer way than complete indifference.
Then suddenly, it occurred to me that I could no longer tease my character for being a cringey lone wolf or “Dark Flame Dragon” type of character.
Things had become dull.
____
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