Chapter 152

Chapter 152

‘Hey, Emmitte.’

‘I used to think that if I ever fell into despair, it would be because of the limits of my abilities.’

‘Or this unchangeable reality and its inevitable exceptions would break my resolve.’

‘Just like Sir Knight.’

‘But that wasn’t it.’

‘What really brings me despair are neither of those things...’

“Gasp!”

Deathbringer abruptly opened his eyes. How long had he been unconscious after getting cursed by that Demon?

In this tilted world, the sky visible to him was extremely dark.

Had he actually been passed out that long?

Panicking at that fact, he sat up. Rustle. Something slid off him.

“...A blanket?”

Why a blanket?

“...??”

It wasn’t even cheap. Though not made of silk, it was still quite soft, similar to what the Hero and the wizard used.

“Could it be...”

Could it be that the Demon had covered him with this blanket after he fainted? Really? Seriously?

Who would do something so crazy?

Beyond puzzled, Deathbringer stared at the blanket with disgust, as though he’d bitten into worms. Then, his hand, which had been resting on the ground, touched something.

“What is that now...?”

Where his hand was, he found a small leather pouch about the size of his fist and picked it up. Its opening was slightly agape, so some of its contents spilled out.

“This is...?”

Candies. Made from precious melted sugar.

“What the...”

It left him a blanket and even candy? The Demon? The same bastard who forced him into a temporary contract when he hesitated?

“Huh.”

At that moment, the whole thing felt beyond confusing, almost absurdly comical. Wasn’t it strange for a Demon to show such care?

It wasn’t cold enough yet that he would freeze without a blanket.

However, it was also hard for him to imagine anyone else doing it. If not the Demon, who else would show him such favor?

Especially given he was lying on a roof, far out of sight from the streets below.

Deathbringer was left with only questions, completely unable to make sense of the situation.

“This is driving me crazy, seriously.”

He reached out to discard the candy left by that unknown person.

He didn’t know if this was meant as a warning or something. Just imagining that Demon bastard, one who’d cursed him at that, had left it behind made his skin crawl.

“...”

However, strangely, his hand wouldn’t let go of the pouch. It was almost like it had been cursed.

“Ah, dammit. If you’re going to leave something, at least leave a note with it...”

But... these sweets were rare. Far too rare. As rare as a favor with no strings attached.

That was why he couldn’t throw them away.

“Damn it...”

Deathbringer’s hand trembled as he clutched the candy. Eventually, he gave up on discarding it. He couldn’t do it.

“Damn it.”

Yeah. As if that Demon would have given him these things.

Maybe, just maybe, some wealthy passerby happened to climb up on the roof, happened to find him, and happened to have some candy and a blanket on them, which they left behind.

...What nonsense.

He knew his explanation was nonsense, but he kept the candy anyway. He was already cursed, so was there even a point in poisoning him, too? It was a very spontaneous decision, he knew.

But had he ever had a proper plan since joining this party?

Even now, if he’d had a proper plan, he wouldn't be in this mess.

“...What should I do now?”

However, dwelling on what had already happened was the act of a fool.

So, he started thinking about what he had to do next.

Unfortunately, he couldn't return to the party. As the Demon said, his entering into a provisional contract—or rather, having it forced upon him—wouldn’t get past the Inquisitor.

Furthermore, they definitely wouldn’t accept him back.

Even if he tried to explain to save his life, he couldn’t reveal the reason for this contract. Doing so would spell his death.

This was a complete disaster.

“Maybe it’s for the best. I was planning on leaving, anyway...”

Then, what else could he do? He had no choice but to turn his back on the Hero’s party and leave.

“Yeah, it’s probably for the best.”

As long as he could leave the city without running into them, this provisional contract wouldn’t be a major issue.

After that, well. If he was lucky, the Demon might annul the contract, and if not...

“Hmm.”

So, I continued thinking about it.

“Ah, dawn is breaking.”

Finally, morning had come. I could hear Bers shouting for Deathbringer in the distance, hopping around like a puppy with its tail on fire.

* * *

Deathbringer felt his body floating in his sleep. Something hard and sturdy was supporting him, and he could feel some warmth coming from one side.

Slightly uncomfortable but cozy, he blinked his eyes drowsily. He wanted to sleep more, the desire making his eyelids heavy.

But... Who was carrying him?

At that moment, as if he’d been splashed with cold water, his mind snapped back to reality. His green eyes darted around.

“Oh, young hunter. You’re awake?”

“Uwaaah!!”

His last thought before falling asleep was to leave this town without meeting any of his party members. Yet here he was, being carried by Berserk.

“P-Put me down!!”

Deathbringer thrashed around like a freshly caught fish. However, Berserk was a highly skilled fighter, so her reflexes were excellent.

Looking quite puzzled, she carefully held him to prevent him from falling.

“We’re almost there, though?”

“Huh?”

Deathbringer blinked at her words. He reflexively looked in the direction Berserk was heading.

It wasn’t the Temple, but their quarters within its grounds, just thirty meters away. The Inquisitor had already kicked open the door, perhaps because she’d heard the screams outside or sensed the Demonic Energy.

“There’s Demonic Energy outside...!”

The Inquisitor’s and his eyes met.

“You, you...?”

“Uwaaaaaah!!!”

This was a really, really, really serious crisis.

Deathbringer twisted his body with all his might. His movements were more frantic than before, and he managed to shake off Berserk.

“What... Young hunter, your strength...”

Thud.

His boots hit the ground.

“No, wh-wh-why are you...”

“I’m out of here!!”

“Huh!”

He had to run. He knew running away would only deepen their suspicions, but he had no choice. He couldn’t even make any excuses if he tried.

So, since he’d already been discovered, he could only run away to save his life.

“C-Catch him, Berserk!”

“Huh?”

“Inquisitor, just what...”

“No, erm, Sir Archmage, ah! W-W-We need to catch him...!”

If anything, it was somewhat fortunate that only the Inquisitor knew, and Berserk had no idea what was happening.

Crucially, Mister Knight was also missing.

If he was even a little slow and this story reached Mister’s ears? Yeah, that would be the moment he’d have to abandon all hope.

The Inquisitor was a little slow, but the Demon Knight could easily overwhelm him even now.

“Miss Envoy, there’s a Demonic presence inside the temple—! What?!”

But why did it seem like this situation was getting increasingly worse—for him?

Deathbringer spotted priests rushing toward him, their faces twisted in anger as they looked at him. Shit.

“Catch him!!”

“Wh-What’s happening? Why are you suddenly trying to catch the young hunter?”

“Inquisitor?”

“Th-There’s...”

Fortunately, Miss Priest was still hesitating, likely due to the strange bond they’d formed during their time together.

“I can sense Demonic Energy coming from him.”

Deathbringer swallowed down the bittersweet emotions rising up when he saw the Inquisitor, who was more shaken than he’d expected.

It turned out she didn’t hate him as much as he thought. It was something he realized only now, as their relationship was on the verge of becoming adversarial.

“Capture him!”

“Quick, after him!”

“Don’t let him leave the Temple grounds!”

However, thanks to their relationship, he was able to keep his life for now. Whoosh. Now that his body had become a little more agile, Deathbringer easily climbed over the wall.

“Ah.”

“...?”

Unfortunately, the Demon Knight was right on the other side of the wall.

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