If You Stay Here, You'll Die, Junior (1)
“Jurchen, over there! That log-like thing floating down!”
“That one? Got it!”
Cryan and Jurchen, the despair duo of the Bruised City, waited by the river downstream for the coffin to drift their way. The funeral had been proper, but Yohan had asked them to handle the aftermath—just in case the Demon King’s forces tried to recover the body or perform some twisted ritual. Jurchen didn’t know the full details, but collecting a corpse that had already undergone a soul-sealing rite felt like aiding some deranged, heretical scheme. That was why he’d agreed. Cryan was no different. For someone who usually boasted about using holy magic, he showed zero hesitation about this. At this point, he might as well switch to being a black mage.
Anyway, Jurchen stared blankly at the approaching coffin while Cryan gave him a shove.
“What are you waiting for? Get in the water.”
“……Huh? I have to go in?”
“I can’t swim. And that coffin’s bigger than me. There’s no way I could drag it to shore.”
“Oho, so you’re finally putting me to use.”
“You told me to use you, and now you’re complaining?”
Well, he wasn’t wrong. Jurchen grumbled but dashed into the river anyway, hauling the coffin and its occupant onto the bank. Who would have thought that one day he’d be prying open the coffin of a man they’d just given a proper funeral? What on earth was Yohan thinking, asking them to retrieve his own body?
—That was the only thought running through their heads.
Creak. The lid groaned open.
Inside lay a headless corpse clad in black armor, its thick arms unmistakably Yohan’s. It was grotesque. What kind of fate had produced such a body? Yet Cryan’s voice remained flat.
“…Let’s burn it, Jurchen.”
“Eek, did Yohan tell you to do that?”
“Yeah.”
Then there was no choice. With the field training in the imperial hunting grounds looming, they cleanly disposed of someone’s remains. It was a precaution, but a necessary one.
***
“The body… is gone.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. We searched thoroughly but found nothing. Even if it drifted downstream, there’s no reason it should have reached the sea so quickly… In any case, we couldn’t locate it.”
After the temporary funeral ended, Vankite sensed something amiss and ordered Yagnus to investigate Yohan’s missing corpse. Yet even Yagnus’s absolute sight had failed to find it. The sea was vast; if the coffin had been swept out and sunk immediately, there was nothing more to say. But wasn’t that far too convenient? A coffin that large should have caught on rocks or debris in the rapids.
‘…Strange. Very strange.’
Still, if that was what happened, there was nothing they could do.
“We don’t have time to summon Roban for questioning. The field training starts tomorrow.”
“If you have doubts, leave the interrogation to me.”
Vankite could have chosen that route, but he set it aside.
“No. We already have tasks to complete. Time is too short to handle two things at once.”
“…Understood.”
“We’ll simply assume Yohan is dead.”
Vankite shook his head.
“Yohan, Yohan, Yohan. He looked like nothing more than an insignificant insect, yet he remains an enigma.”
He tapped the documents detailing Casacos’s background with his finger. Vankite had wondered how a scroll meant for central bloodlines could affect Yohan, the homunculus. But the records proved Casacos’s paternal lineage traced back to the North, neatly resolving the contradiction. Moreover, the corpse Vankite had personally confirmed at the funeral was undeniably real. Above all, he had witnessed the Grand Duke’s daughter’s expression and actions. Having observed countless people’s despair, Vankite knew her reaction could not have been faked. That certainty was why he was willing to accept Yohan’s death.
“That aside, Karalin… that poor, adorable thing’s face, clouded with despair…”
Kihihik—
Vankite covered his mouth and laughed, a sound that sent chills down the spine. Regardless of everything else, watching that moment had been truly special. The proud, strong-willed northern lady, walking a destined path, had fallen into an untouchable abyss of grief after losing the one she loved. For someone who delighted in others’ misery, Vankite had never seen a more satisfying reaction. He wanted to drown her even deeper in despair. He wanted to force her down the worst possible fate! Even if she had pushed him away in her current state of confusion, what if he offered her more “kindness” and then betrayed her? What kind of expression would she show then?
“Corruption, corruption, corruption, corruption—”
Though he hadn’t touched anything, Vankite felt a pleasure so intense it bordered on orgasmic.
‘Well, whether Yohan is truly dead or not doesn’t matter in the end.’
Normally cautious, Vankite’s judgment had grown hasty as he indulged in hopeful speculation.
“…Anyway, since Yohan is dead, proceed as planned, Butler.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Still, it wouldn’t hurt to keep one joker up our sleeve for a critical moment, would it?”
“…Why?”
“Why else? My instincts are still tingling strangely.”
“—You don’t mean that story you mentioned before?”
At those words, Yagnus’s wings trembled. He had recalled someone. As one of the Demon King’s Six Swords, Yagnus rarely showed such a reaction. Clearly, even he feared that individual. Seeing this, Vankite nodded without hesitation.
“Yes.”
“Unlike the Iron Giant, there may be no way to control it.”
“We’ll think about that when the time comes. The more tragic and horrifying the story, the better, right? So don’t worry about control. If it comes to that, I’ll throw the Empire’s full military might behind it.”
“…Understood. Shall we also deal with the hunting ground keepers as planned?”
“If we wait until we arrive, they’ll interfere and protect the students. So if we’re going to eliminate them, now is the perfect time.”
“As you command.”
Now then, what kind of despair would unfold? The plan to plunge Karalin into despair, and the noble plan to make the students suffer—the field training was the first step. Vankite smiled. This would be fun.
***
The imperial hunting grounds, Karlandel. Spanning an area large enough to encompass several villages, this place had been shaped exactly as intended. It brimmed with the rich ecological resources and ancient trees nature had spent millennia cultivating. Familiar beasts from this world roamed alongside rare creatures from distant lands. Even low- to high-ranking monsters could be found here. For any hunter, it was a dream hunting ground one would want to traverse before death. Of course, the imperial family kept it sealed off, employing skilled hunting ground keepers to bar entry to outsiders and protect both their property and the ecosystem.
…Or so the story went. Whatever. Explaining it was a hassle.
“Damn it, these hunting ground keeper brats.”
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop—
Their skill needed no long explanation. A single keeper was already chasing me relentlessly for daring to trespass. I remembered there were only ten of them in total, yet they covered this vast forest alone. I’d had the misfortune of running into one. The keeper moved through the trees above my head with wide strides, treating the entire hunting ground like their own backyard. Even though I’d poured every ounce of mental focus into staying hidden, the fact that they kept pursuing me so stubbornly proved they were first-rate.
But wasn’t this excessive? I’d only trespassed and stolen a horse.
‘They don’t even appreciate that I’m trying to save their lives.’
At that moment—
Shwaaaak—!
Thududududung—
A rain of arrows poured down before me.
“Agh.”
Though there was only one pursuer, they had read the speed of my galloping horse and unleashed precise warning shots. Annoying.
“Stop. You have trespassed upon imperial property. If you do not halt, I will capture you and wipe out your entire clan.”
The voice was low and hard to hear, but listening closely… it was a woman.
“I refuse. Get lost and let me do as I please.”
“…Hah? How bold.”
She leapt swiftly between the dense trees and calmly addressed me from above.
“Then I won’t hold back anymore.”
‘—Now.’
Before she could draw her bow again—
“Got you.”
“U-uh…?!”
I sprang from below and tackled her. I had clearly been riding a horse on the ground, so how—?
Pababak—!
The arrow she loosed struck the image of me riding below, but the spot where the arrow hit cracked and vanished.
Crackle—
[“You fell for it—!”]
Rorschach cheered in delight. Well, that was how it worked. Staring at the mirror world was pointless. I had been tailing her from behind, waiting for an opening, and she had taken the bait so easily.
“You’re skilled, but you don’t seem very wary of your opponent’s danger level.”
“No, that’s cheating—!”
“Real combat is unfair.”
I grabbed her by the neck from the tree and slammed her into the ground.
BOOM—
“Guh—!”
The impact was hers alone to bear. Overwhelmed by pain, she let out a frozen, agonized groan that barely qualified as a sound.
“Let’s see your face.”
Up close, she was definitely a woman. Red hair. A mask hid her face, but her narrow shoulders confirmed it. Her high-quality hunter’s attire also explained her light movements.
“Relax. I won’t kill you.”
“Ugh—.”
Then, upon seeing my dark features and eyes, she averted her gaze and spoke.
“K-kh… Kill me!”
……
……
What the hell was wrong with this kid? Was she thinking something weird?
[“Did she really just ask to be killed, Master? Haven’t you seen too many strange things…?”]
Shut up, Burga.
“Hah, but remember this. You’re an intruder. It would be a mistake to think I’ll submit easily…”
[“You were right. Sorry.”]
I sighed. Seriously. Being mistaken for a bandit or worse was already depressing enough, and now this… There was no gentleman more misunderstood than me. Slightly irritated, I spoke my mind.
“I have no interest in women. Even if I weren’t in a hurry, someone like you wouldn’t have caught my eye anyway.”
“Wh-what…?”
The red-haired keeper looked deeply offended. But if she was hurt, so what? She had hurt me first.
“Anyway, I’m short on time, so let’s take off that mask and talk.”
“I have no intention of removing it!”
“Stop spouting nonsense.”
But when I pulled it off, an unexpected face appeared.
Swish—
“Huh.”
“……?”
Wait.
“Hilken…?”
“Lord Steel Knight…?”
Why are you here?