I felt a sudden warmth on the back of my hand, which I found a bit strange. It was a distinct heat, not just a figment of my imagination. Or was it?
The fact that I felt it through my gauntlet made it difficult to check.
While fiddling with the metal plates attached to the gauntlet, I decided to focus on the matter at hand. If I couldn’t verify it immediately, it would be more efficient to address the things I could handle first.
“You said it might be a worshiper of Envy or even Envy itself, right?”
“Yes. The only Demon whose symbols include snakes and whales is that Great Demon. Whether it was the Great Demon itself or one of its worshipers, I can’t be certain.”
I see. Considering it approached me undetected and then just disappeared, it was likely a Great Demon. The events at Pa Enoch showed us that Great Demons could easily deceive our senses.
Or perhaps it was something similar—like one of those strangely insignificant 72 Knights?
“Then, could these animal issues in Camborough be related…?”
“I’m not sure. According to the texts, the Great Demon of Envy doesn’t have the power to control animals. Besides, a Great Demon coming here itself seems highly unlikely. It’s something to keep in mind, though…”
“I see.”The Inquisitor, usually so composed, was now deep in thought, wearing the severe expression of an active inquisitor I’d only seen on her shortly after we met.
Evidently, she was enraged that the Demon (or its worshiper) had entered the temple and approached her undetected.
Her face, which had tanned slightly throughout our journey, had turned ominously pale.
“Bishop, does the Adventurers’ Guild have any information?”
“We’re in constant communication with them since this concerns the entire city, but they haven’t found anything, either. At least, they haven’t reported anything to us yet.”
The bishop added that adventurers were being sent to deal with the urgent issues since they didn’t need to know the cause to react to the threat.
So, the standard progression for this type of Quest would be sending us to kill the beasts.
“Unless there’s any evidence of Demonic involvement in this incident, I’ll remain here and search for that wretched heretic.”
But would the Inquisitor simply let a Demon who’d infiltrated a Temple go?
“I will join you.”
And the same went for my character as well.
“I won’t rest until I cut off that filthy worm's limbs and tear out its tongue.”
Audibly grinding my teeth, I completely abandoned the current Quest.
After all, mere beasts couldn’t take precedence over a Demon. Not unless a Demon or its worshiper was involved in this incident.
* * *
> [Wow, it seems like they’ve made up their minds to find us.]
Pandemonium unfolded the note brought by a crow and read its contents.
Before them, the devotee who’d just delivered the information had his head bowed.
> [Are you sure it’s not Wrath? Their temperament is identical, you know?]
> [Are you blind? If that guy really were Wrath, he wouldn’t just be fuming like that; he’d have blown up the entire city by now.]
> [Ah, true. With the right vessel, a city like this would be nothing more than dry kindling to Gretchen, after all.]
Satisfied with the information, Pandemonium waved their hand dismissively at the devotee, to which they gratefully left the cave.
Now, only they and Moby Dick—Leviathan—who was lying down to heal his wounds, remained in the cave.
And if you cared to include them, the countless minerals scattered on the floor.
> [We haven’t found suitable vessels yet, so we’re nothing more than miserable dogs.]
> [Hmph.]
> [Come to think of it, it must be quite frustrating for him, too. He finally found a vessel worth using but couldn’t control it properly. But then again, several of our plans have fallen through because of him, right?]
Watching the other one continue coughing up blood, Pandemonium burned the note. Clink. The burning note didn’t turn to ashes but to sparkling minerals.
Very fine, beautiful red gems.
> [Hah, frustrating? Isn’t this situation actually quite welcome? If we kill the vessel, that’s it.]
> [Killing the vessel won’t kill them. You know that.]
> [That’s…!]
> [Or are you planning to go after his physical body?]
Just like the countless minerals piled up like mountains in this cave.
> [Arthur. You know there’s a reason why He’s left him alone.]
Pandemonium picked up the gem, examining its color and light refraction.
The crimson of burning flames. It was the best they’d made so far.
> [Should you go after his body and merely break his seal without killing him… you know, right? The King won’t spare you.]
> [Damn it!]
> [How about capturing the vessel whole and taming it? I’ve heard the vessel can handle Wrath’s power quite well. Sure, it might not compare to Gretchen, but even a rotten mackerel is still a mackerel. It should be on par with a decent high-ranking Demon.]
But when they recalled a particular flame from long ago, this redness seemed worthless in their eyes.
Pandemonium shattered the gem, along with the others scattered across the floor.
Red gems could never please them.
> [Tame it? What nonsense. If you’re going to make that kind of suggestion, bring it to Sarah.]
> [How prickly. After I went through all this trouble of providing you a hideout.]
> [Hmph. Anyone would think you gave it for free. I traded my tongue for this place, didn’t I?]
> [That’s true, but still.]
> [I’m not like you lot. I won’t let him go like Duke did because it was a hassle, nor will I lose him while trying to claim him like you did.]
Pandemonium quietly looked at their nominal colleague, thinking, ‘Is that so?’
> [I will kill him.]
And as such, they reached a conclusion.
> [Yes, if possible… I’ll make sure he dies at the hands of the one he so greatly underestimated.]
Envy was, after all, envy.
> [It just so happens there’s a suitable person by his side.]
Blinded by inferiority, trying to bury something that shone so brilliantly even when covered in mud.
> [Well, fine. Do as you like. I’ll keep an eye on things for a while.]
Even if it was amusing, Pandemonium decided just to watch on. After all, even if this failed, they still had plenty of cards left to play.
* * *
Deathbringer stepped into the forest situated between the Whitecat Ridge and the city.
“It seems like Mister has no intention of participating in the beast hunt today, either.”
His objective was to hunt beasts.
“Hurry up, young hunter!”
“Yeah.”
Of course, he hadn’t volunteered for it or anything.
Given the choice, would he really have gone with this? He could track animals, but he was utterly incapable of catching them.
Simply put, since the Inquisitor and the Demon Knight firmly declared their intention to hunt that Demon, there was little else he and the Archmage could do.
Especially with Berserk, who caused trouble wherever she went, going out alone. After a single day, she found investigating the Demon boring and turned her attention to this hunt.
Ultimately, someone had to cover Berserk, and of those remaining, the most suitable person was, without a doubt, him.
“…How lucky for you that you can face those beasts without hesitation.”
Moreover, excluding himself from this with the excuse that he only specialized in searching for people wasn’t an option, considering plenty of organizations could replace him in that regard: the Information Guild, the Temple, and the Adventurers’ Guild.
Yes, countless people could take his place.
Unlike the Hero, the Knight on par with her, or Berserk, who, despite causing a lot of trouble, was assigned someone to manage her rather than getting expelled from the party.
“Huh? What did you say?”
…Unlike them, who could hunt rather than be hunted, even if a massive wild beast appeared.
“It’s nothing.”
Deathbringer had been following behind Berserk for two days now, mocking himself over his situation.
It wasn’t quite self-loathing, but it was still heavy enough that one could call it self-destructive.
It was like… he didn’t consider himself weak, per se, but among these people, he always felt so small and insignificant.
And the fact that this feeling wasn’t entirely misguided only made it even more disheartening.
“You don’t look so good. Is something wrong?”
However, he couldn’t afford to show his true feelings.
They lived in entirely different worlds and led entirely different lives.
“Really, it’s nothing.”
They couldn’t possibly understand someone like him, who had to crawl on the ground and hide in the shadows to survive.
“Got it.”
Maybe he shouldn’t have gone with them. When the Archmage said he could stay in the city, perhaps he should have listened instead of insisting that this role suited him better and was more efficient.
As he watched Berserk turn and continue moving forward, Deathbringer felt a rare pang of regret.
No, it wasn’t actually that rare. He often reflected on the past with a deep sense of shame.
Not saving his friend, who was like family, not dying with them on that fateful day, surviving and still daring to continue living without them. Despite vowing to be the agent of everyone, there was little he’d ever done right.
…And now, following these people impulsively, only to end up doing insignificant tasks.
Anyone could do what he was doing now.
“…Damn it. I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore.”
He had followed Berserk, but he suddenly felt so helpless. This long-held worry only made this feeling of powerlessness more intense.
『I intended to offer you my blood as the final sacrifice…』
『None of your business.』
『You needn’t be so cautious. I’m just trying to help you. Honestly, isn’t it annoying? That infuriating priest, that frustrating girl, being more useful than you.』
Recently, these things had been weighing heavily on him…
“Haah…”
Eventually, Deathbringer just sat down. The foggy forest was dense, and if he didn’t hurry, there was a real chance he’d lose sight of Berserk. However, that thought remained just that—a thought.
Instead, his mind was filled with the image of someone whose demise he didn’t want but whom he couldn’t save due to incompetence.
Someone who was his object of admiration, his mirror, and his future.
“What am I even doing here…?”
That was proof that while he could seek revenge for others, he couldn’t be someone who saves others.
“Should I just leave?”
After careful consideration, Deathbringer proposed another alternative to himself. If he couldn’t do anything here, leaving might not be such a bad idea.
“Staying here is just a waste of time…”
After all, the tasks he handled in this party could be done by someone else. In contrast, he had something only he could do: revenge.
So, if he left this party to someone else and just disappeared…
“Hey, young hunter!”
Just as his thoughts reached that point, a booming voice echoed through the forest. Her platinum hair shone strikingly bright in the sunlight that pierced through the fog.
“Take this!”
“Huh?”
Along with her words, she passed him a handful of wild raspberries.
“Young hunter, you like sweet things, right?”
“Well, I do like them, but…”
Still, what was this all of a sudden?
“Then there’s no problem. Take them!”
Although he was pretty flustered, Deathbringer didn’t have the strength to refuse the raspberries being thrust into his hands. In the end, his palms were filled with berries.
Some had gotten crushed in the process and were leaking juice.
“…Where did you get these?”
“Berserk always has her ways!”
Though bewildered, he had no reason not to eat what he was given.
With a reluctant expression, Deathbringer popped a raspberry into his mouth. The ripe fruit was sweet and refreshing.
“Feeling stronger now?”
“Yeah, well…”
The sheer absurdity of this situation had blown away all the thoughts that had been making him feel so endlessly helpless.
It was unclear whether he could say he was feeling stronger, but at least the thoughts draining his energy were gone, so it wasn't entirely inaccurate.
Going from neutral to positive was still a plus, and going from negative to neutral was the same.
“Then it’s settled. Let’s go!”
Deathbringer watched as Berserk heartily slapped him on the back, hard enough to sting, and finally let out a small laugh.
The Demon Knight might not like her, but having such a simple-minded person in their party wasn’t all that bad, even if she was quite difficult to control.
“Ah, right.”
“What now? Did you forget to cut off the beast’s ears?”
“No, not that, young hunter.”
“Then?”
“Try to stay close to Berserk, as much as possible.”
“…? Isn’t that obvious? The wizard also insisted that I shouldn’t leave you alone.”
Given that the guy who’d intruded into the temple was the same person who’d approached him before and could do so again, he couldn’t stray too far from her.
Of course, just the two of them being out here was already dangerous enough…
The enemy could enter and exit the Temple unnoticed, which made them dangerous no matter where they hid. Had that guy truly intended to kill him during their first encounter, he wouldn’t have been able to resist at all.
The Archmage must have known this, too, which was why he’d been sent to follow Berserk. His combat skills were significantly lacking, rendering resistance completely meaningless, and since any contract this guy might want to make was ultimately up to him, hiding was pointless.
In any case, for these reasons, he should never stray from Berserk’s side.
That moment of vulnerability earlier, when he was alone and felt utterly helpless? That should be counted as an exception since feeling like that was inevitable.
As for leaving the party, his value came from being part of it, so he thought that guy wouldn’t target him anymore if he left.
“Is that so? Then it’s settled!”
She sure said a lot of useless things sometimes.
Deathbringer scratched his head as he followed Berserk.
But, yeah.
Given their height difference, which amounted to an entire head, he didn’t notice Berserk’s amber eyes glancing cautiously at the sky behind them, gripping her halberd as if on guard.
Ooo-ooh.
A whale that had been hiding among the clouds rose back into the sky.
____
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