44
Chapter 44
Honestly, I had my hopes up.
I thought this journey, for once, might end without a fight.
But... of course not.
On the sixth day, we ran into a group of mercenaries.
They were just ordinary mercenaries, about six lightly armed men.
At first, we were able to communicate reasonably well.
We exchanged some information, and I thought we would naturally just pass by each other-
"Huh? You've got quite a bit of luggage here."
-After one of them glanced at the carriage's cargo, the atmosphere shifted instantly.
"Oh yeah?"
"Got anything good?"
They turned into highway robbers in the blink of an eye.
Come to think of it, this was what mercenaries were originally like.
I guess I had just been meeting unusually friendly mercenaries lately.
"What the, there's nothing as expensive as I thought."
"Oh! There's booze too! Grab it, grab it."
At first, they only rummaged through our luggage.
The coachman quietly shook his head at me, and I also stepped back from the carriage, trying not to get involved.
But then, one of them started giving Eileen a blatant look.
He approached us, his gaze dripping with naked greed.
At that moment, I no longer had any reason to hold back.
"Hey, take off that robe and come over- huh?"
Whoosh. Smash!
Swung with full force, the mace hit with a sound like a smashing watermelon that struck my ears.
The sensation traveling up my fingertips was a sickening feeling that I could never get used to.
It had been a long time since I killed someone directly.
I forced down the nausea that flooded my mouth.
I silently threw the water bullet I had gathered in my left hand at another guy who was staring at me with a startled look from the horrific noise.
As the water bullet flew at him, the guy flinched and stumbled, and unfortunately, its trajectory barely grazed over his head.
Hearing the sudden commotion, the men rummaging through the carriage all turned this way.
"What's going on?"
"A-a magician!"
The one who saw my water bullet shouted urgently.
"A magician?"
"Did he say magician?"
The mercenaries started murmuring upon hearing that.
Their eyes scanned my body all at once.
Doubt was the first thing to surface in their eyes.
"He's wearing armor and holding a mace, what kind of magician is that."
"No! That bastard definitely shot some weird magic!"
The confusion gradually spread.
They actually started doubting each other.
Well, it would be hard to conclude that a guy wearing armor and holding a bloodstained mace was a magician.
I even had my staff tucked away inside the luggage bag.
Their suspicion was somewhat justified.
"Don't tell me... is it a relic then?"
"A relic?"
A moment of tension flashed by.
I was worried they would lunge at me greedily like those thugs from last time, but.
"Shouldn't we run away then?"
"Damn it, if it's a relic, we have to run!"
...They were different.
They seemed more afraid of a relic than a magician.
They quickly scattered and began to flee.
"...?"
I briefly wondered if I should chase them, but the terrain was too rugged.
With a dumbfounded expression, I could only watch their retreating backs as they distanced themselves.
"Should we consider this... a good thing?"
Eileen, who was beside me, asked cautiously.
"Hmm... Probably?"
I wasn't certain, but for now, I had no choice but to wrap it up at that.
I returned to the carriage to check the damage.
There wasn't anything that expensive to begin with, mostly just grain.
It seemed they grabbed a few things while running away, but in the end, only a few bottles of booze were missing.
"You really were confident in your skills."
The coachman said with a surprised face.
"Are you okay? A few bottles of booze..."
"Haha, those cheap bottles of booze are nothing compared to the price of our lives."
He looked like it really was nothing.
In fact, he looked quite pleased even though his goods were stolen.
"Wow, to think I'd get such an escort for this cheap."
So that was why he was in a good mood.
He looked thoroughly satisfied.
...Thanks to that, I had to listen to the coachman humming all day long.
***
Finally, the last day of the journey.
There were some variables along the way, but no major setbacks to the schedule.
Clatter! Clank!
True to a border village, the road was narrow and rugged.
"Ugh, my back. Are we arriving before sunset?"
"Yeah. See that peak over there? If we just go around that side path a bit, the village will appear."
Not long after hearing that, the first thing that caught my eye was smoke billowing into the sky.
"Hey... is there usually that much smoke?"
"No, it shouldn't be. What is it? Are they having a festival in the village or something?"
Smoke spewing from behind the peak.
It felt different from normal smoke.
Rising thick and black, it carried an artificial smell, like something was being burned in massive quantities.
Sensing something strange, the coachman sped up, and we rounded the peak to enter the path where the village came into view.
And soon, we saw the sight.
"What... in the."
A massive fire was raging in the village.
Shocked by the sight, we stopped the carriage.
"Damn it, we can't go in any further."
The coachman muttered, and I nodded.
Ashes scattered beneath our feet, and the sound of things collapsing could be heard intermittently from afar.
The flames seemed to have started in the center of the village, and fortunately, because the village was small, the fire was somewhat contained.
I stayed seated in the carriage, watching the flames.
The smoke drifted sideways with the wind, making the view beyond waver blurrily.
There was no reason to deliberately go inside.
It would be fine to just turn back at this point.
That was when it happened.
A man stumbled out from the entrance of an alley over there.
His body was charred, and severe burns were visible on his arms.
I quickly got off the carriage and approached him.
"Are you okay? What happened inside?"
"A... A monster...."
He barely managed to answer while panting heavily.
"They suddenly barged in. They set fires and wreaked havoc all over the village. I don't even know who is still alive..."
I was at a loss for words for a moment.
Only the fact that this was the village I came to deliver the letter to echoed in my mind.
"Is there anyone else still left inside?"
"Yes, there are still... a few more people left. Sir Rusein is guiding the evacuation inside."
"Sir Rusein?"
"Yes. He is the head priest of the Sereon Church. Everyone in the village followed him... but he stayed behind until the end."
...Damn it.
It was definitely the person I had to deliver the letter to.
I stood there silently for a moment.
I turned my head and looked at the flames once more.
Buildings burning down, smoke rising like a chimney.
I could just wash my hands of this and go back, and that would be it.
I hadn't received anything to begin with; all I was asked to do was deliver a letter.
I had no responsibility to confirm his life or death, nor any reason to rescue him.
But... would it be right to abandon someone who was inside saving people?
That weighed on my mind a little.
I placed a hand on my hip and looked back toward the carriage.
"Eileen. Head back toward the water."
"What? What about you, Riv?"
"I'm... going to head inside for a bit."
"Then I'll go with-"
Eileen stopped mid-sentence as she tried to offer to go with me.
She must have instinctively realized that she wouldn't be of any help inside.
After briefly watching Eileen standing there biting her lip, I stepped into the village alone.
Inside was a literal hellscape.
The flames weren't as large as I expected, but the flying ash and smoke dyed my vision in dark, reddish hues.
I took a piece of cloth from my pouch and soaked it in water.
Covering my nose and mouth, I moved as far away from the flames as possible.
Even so, I had to feel threatened by collapsing roofs and every flying ember.
'Damn it, I won't be able to find him like this.'
The deeper I went into the village, the more my sense of direction blurred.
Ultimately, I decided to use that method.
I moved my body into a relatively safe crevice and closed my eyes for a moment.
Drawing up my mana, I refined my focus with short breaths.
As I recalled the spell, mana slowly began to condense around my eyes.
I took a breath and slowly opened my eyes.
[Blue Eye]
My reddish, murky vision inverted, and the world shifted into a dark blue light.
Moisture drying up in real-time here and there, and afterimages resembling human silhouettes drifted through the blue landscape.
Further inside, a group of figures was faintly captured far beyond my line of sight.
One person was in the front, followed by several others behind them.
'Ugh... Is that him?'
Upon confirming their location, I forced my staggering footsteps forward.
The piece of cloth dried up quickly, and I had to re-wet it several times as I turned into an alley.
And eventually, I encountered the group.
"W-Who are you!"
As the man walking in front spotted me, he immediately pushed the residents back.
It was an instinctive reaction that seemed ingrained in his body.
A clear sense of responsibility was the first thing I felt from it.
The man's face came into view.
His blond hair was scorched and partially burned black, and burn marks remained on his left cheek.
Still, his clear green eyes had yet to lose their vitality.
He gave off a younger impression than I expected.
That person... must be Sir Rusein.
"You're Sir Rusein, right? I'm here on a request from the Sereon Order."
"The Order...?"
I took the seal out of my inner pocket.
Upon checking the wax seal stamped with Sereon's crest, he finally relaxed and nodded.
"A letter from the Order at a time like this... I suppose there is a reason for everything..."
"...What exactly happened here?"
At my question, Sir Rusein held his tongue for a moment.
Beyond the flames, something was swaying as if it would collapse at any second.
"Since you're from the Order, I suppose I can tell you."
He let out a low breath and continued speaking.
"There was an attack by a Demonic Human."
"...A Demonic Human?"
It was a word both unfamiliar and familiar.
The last time I heard that word was regarding that hunter I killed in Delhar Village.
I never thought I'd get involved with them again.
"It would be difficult to explain everything in a place like this. Let's move first."
Saying that, Sir Rusein turned around.
I quietly fell into step among the people he was leading.
I thought we would slip out right away.
However, our destination wasn't outside the village.
He was checking one by one to see if there were any more people left in the village.
The flames were still threatening, and we didn't have much time.
I pondered for a moment before opening my mouth.
"There should be a few more people over there."
Rusein didn't hesitate after hearing those words.
Without even asking how I knew, he immediately divided the people and continued the rescue.
We navigated back through the alley amidst the flames, and fortunately, we were able to safely rescue some of those I had spotted in my vision.
Only after determining that there was no one left were we able to safely escape the flames.
"Father... where is Mother...."
"Waaaah-"
Outside the village had already turned into a makeshift shelter.
The elderly who couldn't walk properly, parents clutching their children and sobbing, and the injured lying unconscious.
...It was a true tragedy.
The air itself felt heavy, mixed with the scent of blood, the burning smell, tears, and ashes.
The sound of crying continued through the gaps.
The wailing of those who lost their families drifted around the village entrance, quiet but desperate.
Sir Rusein walked among them, saving his words.
He held the hands of the injured and lightly placed his hand on the shoulder of a child holding back tears.
And a moment later, he approached me and quietly bowed his head.
"Thank you for your help."
"No, don't mention it."
I awkwardly bowed my head back to Sir Rusein, who was greeting me politely.
I only watched him for a moment, but his figure carried the weight of someone who bore the burden of others, not just a simple priest.
I couldn't treat him carelessly.
Sir Rusein offered a handshake and cautiously introduced himself.
"My name is Rusein Erabon. I am but a humble man, but I serve as the head priest in this village."
"I am Riv. Um, a mercenary."
Slowly withdrawing his hand, Sir Rusein gently continued speaking.
"I should continue what I was saying earlier. There was an attack by a Demonic Human."
"I heard from a resident earlier that it was a monster...?"
When I cautiously asked back, he nodded and added an explanation.
"People often mistake them like that because of their bizarre shape. What we saw with our eyes was definitely closer to a monster."
That made sense.
The Demonic Human I encountered back in Delhar was also in a form that was hard to consider human.
"What kind of attack was it?"
"At first, he entered the village just like an ordinary traveler. He went around greeting people and asking about the village. He was quiet, well-spoken... not suspicious at all."
Sir Rusein's voice was low and calm, but it held a suppressed anger.
"And around midnight, he came to the cathedral. He said he had a question and requested a private conversation."
"What was his question?"
"He asked about the way God bestows grace upon humans. He asked if God's standards were fair, if that grace didn't become a pain for some... At first, I thought it was just academic interest. But it wasn't."
Sir Rusein slowly shook his head with a gloomy expression.
"After talking for a while, he took out a small black stone from his pocket. And then he... put it in his mouth."
"In his mouth?"
"Yes. The moment he put it in his mouth and bit down, flames erupted from his body. His skin cracked, his eyes turned red, and he transformed into an entity that was hard to call human."
"...A Demonic Human."
"I had no choice but to... confront him right then and there. And the wound I received then is this."
He slowly pointed to the left side of his face with his hand.
A red burn covered in blisters.
His skin was distorted, and I could feel how intense the flames were without him having to say a word.
"Where is... that guy now?"
"It would have been good if I had struck him down..."
Sir Rusein quietly lowered his eyes.
"Perhaps judging that he couldn't kill me right away, he left the cathedral, set the village on fire, and then fled."
The guilt of not being able to stop him then remained clearly on his face.
"Do you remember what he looked like before he transformed?"
"Yes. He was definitely wearing a dark blue robe... and he had a tonsure."
"A tonsure...?"
"Yes. It's a practice where monks shave a part of their scalp as a sign of discipline or devotion. He had the crown of his head completely bare. The hair around his head was left as is."
A dark blue robe, a head missing its top... It was familiar.
The man I met a few days ago in front of the carriage stuck in the mud.
His calm way of speaking, his plate-like head, and his strangely quiet smile.
He... was the Demonic Human who attacked Sir Rusein.