Chapter 113: To a Distant Land (7)

Chapter 113: To a Distant Land (7)

A day had passed since they’d started chasing after the spawned Demon.

Almost implicitly deciding who would take the first night watch shift, they had taken a rest. The Archmage tried taking the second shift as soon as he woke up.

Things would have gone smoothly had the Demon Knight not tried setting off immediately after confirming he was awake.

“Please, just get some sleep!”

Chasing after the Demon was an urgent matter. However, having almost caught up with the Demon, rest had become the priority. It wasn’t wise to face the Demon with an exhausted body.

So the Archmage pleaded with him, almost begged him, to take a rest, and finally succeeded in getting the Demon Knight to get some shut-eye. It took a five-minute battle of nerves to achieve that.

“Tsk.”

How could someone be so stubborn?

He rubbed his temples and checked over the insect-repellent herbs and the campfire. While the campfire appeared to have been carefully maintained, there were signs of some clumsy mistakes.

Considering his career as an Adventurer, that was quite surprising.

On the other hand, it didn’t seem too odd to see him sleeping without a blanket. It was as if he could endure even the coldest winter night without the warmth of a campfire.

“...”

Whether that was normal, well, it probably wasn’t.

Living by disregarding one’s safety and clinging solely to a single purpose wasn’t normal behavior.

That meant both this guy, who knowingly walked into peril that would only lead to self-destruction, and he, who had been observing this guy all along, weren’t entirely sane.

“Hatred... is it?”

Almost for the first time, he looked closely at the young man’s face.

It was certainly the first time he’d looked at the Demon Knight not to confirm whether he was a danger but to understand him as a person.

Then, something he couldn’t see before finally became clear to him.

From the dark circles under his eyes indicative of deep fatigue to the unusually dry lips, from his thoroughly concealing clothes that didn’t show a single bit of bare skin to his sleeping face that still looked so very young.

And he recalled how the Demon Knight had been consumed by a Great Demon not too long ago and then had to face another Great Demon before even having the time to recover properly.

『...That Demon can read one’s past. Probably memories that could be called nightmares. Take note of that.』

The Archmage remembered the Demon Knight’s words regarding the Great Demon of Sloth.

At that time, he hadn’t thought too deeply about the meaning of those words, focusing more on whether the seal had weakened or if Sloth would attack again.

However... thinking on it a bit more, those words held another meaning beyond the mere conveyance of information. How could the Demon Knight have known this information that couldn’t even be found in literature?

In the end, the Demon Knight had probably experienced his own deepest nightmares at that time...

“Haah.”

His calm demeanor wasn’t proof that he hadn’t been hurt. Physical strength didn’t mean one was just as mentally and emotionally resilient.

Yet, why had he turned a blind eye to that until now? That realization let a sigh slip from his mouth.

“You, too, are an innocent victim.”

Looking back, he hadn’t treated the Demon Knight like a person quite often.

He had merely been regarded as the vessel of a Great Demon who could be a useful party member if managed well and, after his rampage, as a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment.

That was a separate matter from considering his personality, whether he possessed an underlying kind nature or whether he really was simply rude or just very clumsy in expressing himself.

Had he truly regarded the Demon Knight as a person, he’d have taken action the moment he realized the latter saw himself as disposable.

After his rampage, instead of worrying about the same thing happening again, the Archmage should have first considered his mental and physical state.

He should have first considered how the Demon Knight felt after facing the Great Demon...

“...I need to thank White Wind.”

Perhaps he’d also adopted this mindset that ‘it would be okay if the Demon Knight died’.

If he died, the Great Demon within him would also perish, which might be more efficient in urgent moments. Since the Demon Knight himself was acting quite self-destructively, the Archmage assumed he wouldn’t mind even if he weren’t treated all too humanely.

Just as he’d come to despise himself because of his research results, he believed it would be acceptable to scorn someone who carried a Demon within their body.

“How could I hold the title of Great Sage when, even at this advanced age, I still haven’t found righteousness in my heart...”

It was a truly foolish conclusion he had come to. The Demon Knight was already suppressing and disposing himself enough, so what right did he have to burden the man even further?

Despite having lived so much longer than this young man, how could he...

“...How should I apologize?”

Could it be called fortunate that he’d realized this sooner rather than later? Could he even use the word ‘sooner’ in this case?

With a sigh, he poked the fire. Given that he’d recognized his mistake, it was now time to correct it. Even if the Demon Knight might not accept his apology, he still had to try.

Suddenly, the sleeping Demon Knight’s eyelids fluttered open. Perhaps due to his pale skin, it looked as if a dead man had just opened his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

As the Demon Knight abruptly rose to his feet, the Archmage followed suit.

Slash!

Before he could get an answer, a dark slash cut through the quiet forest.

“Why did you—?”

There hadn’t been any reactions from his {Alarm} spell, so why? Even if the Demon Knight was highly sensitive, his barrier wasn’t that small in radius, either.

“Scum.”

Regardless of his mistakes, it was clear that the Demon Knight’s temperament was far from good.

The Archmage was exasperated as he watched the man rush out without giving him even a single word of explanation. He wished the Demon Knight would at least give him a hint.

* * *

Yeeeah. That’s how it should be. I stepped in front of the Archmage, who was about to secure the snake, and picked up the tightly bound creature.

Although the Archmage was tall enough that, when looking straight ahead, I could only see his chin... But as I’d said repeatedly, I was the only one with a warrior class here, and I was also a lot younger.

It would be better for me to carry it than the Archmage. Probably.

“Thank you.”

“Not needed.”

This was slightly off-topic, but why couldn’t I put living things in my inventory? If I could do that, I would have just put it in either my bag inventory or my new inventory necklace. That would have made things easier.

───!!

Then suddenly...

As I was about to move ahead of the Archmage, a sound hit my ears. Something was clearly causing a commotion within my earshot, even though I couldn’t see exactly where.

“What’s wrong?”

The problem was that human screams were mixed into that noise.

“...”

Ah, I was tired. Really tired.

But could I just ignore that?

Thud.

I tossed the restrained snake aside and ran toward where I heard the screams. The Archmage let out another groan, but I hoped he would be understanding since lives were at stake here.

【—Stop it!】

【Adisa, dodge!】

【Rather, you should run...!】

With each step, the noise grew closer and the shouts became clearer. Though I couldn’t quite understand the language, the urgency in their voices was unmistakable.

【Nooo!】

When I reached the origin of the commotion, a giant snake was currently attempting to swallow a person.

It was happening right in front of me.

“Move.”

【...What?】

Sorry, but I didn’t have the energy to shout.

I pushed aside the person aiming their bow at the snake and stepped before them. The person about to be swallowed also fell to the side as I pushed them away.

Stab!

At that moment, I stabbed my sword into the snake’s lower jaw to hold it in place, using my other hand to keep its upper jaw from closing. I couldn’t risk sending out a [Slash] since someone was behind the snake.

Squelch!

However, I was so tired that I somewhat misjudged the angle. The snake’s fang pierced my right shoulder. Only about 5-8 cm of the 30 cm-long fang managed to get me, but still.

【Y-You’re...】

I felt dizzy. Still, saving a life at the cost of a small hole in my shoulder could be considered a good trade.

I pressed harder on the snake’s upper jaw to prevent the fang from sinking further into me.

Then, using the longsword at my waist instead of my Zweihänder, which was pinning down the lower jaw, I slashed its upper jaw horizontally.

Thanks to the snake’s anatomy, with its head close to its mouth, that one strike was enough to kill it instantly. Additionally, I was also able to pull the fang out of my shoulder.

【Th-Thank you!】

【He killed the snake in an instant...】

【So strong...】

Wow, I thought the snake I’d subdued earlier was big, but this one was on another level. It seemed like it could swallow an elephant whole.

I couldn’t help but be impressed as I further examined the body of the snake I’d slain. Seeing a snake this truly massive made me feel more astonished than disgusted.

【Ah!】

One of the people I’d saved came running toward me, looking frantic. I noticed they had four eyes and three pairs of arms. All the people here shared these features, suggesting they were of the same species.

【V-Venom!】

“...?”

I didn’t understand what they were saying. Were they speaking a different language?

【You need to get the venom out immediately! You’ll die if you don’t!】

...They seemed to be talking about something urgent. One pointed at me, and the others were pointing at my shoulder. Ah, they were probably talking about my wound. It was fine...

【Damn, he’s a foreigner, so he can’t understand us!】

Wait a second: could it be that this snake had venomous fangs?

【Quickly, remove your clothes. We need to extract the venom!】

Judging by their gestures telling me to take off my clothes, I figured out the situation. That snake was really venomous.

Damn it.

“...!”

That had to be one fast-acting venom. Before I could even react, my head started spinning and blood erupted from my nose. Damn it.

【Ah, nooo—!】

The last thing I saw was my vision tilting to one side before everything went black.