Chapter 35
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Suspicion
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Penalty.
Reputation had dropped, and my villain rank had risen.
But the situation wasn't good enough for me to worry about such things.
Shan was grimacing as if his shoulder was fractured, struggling to set his arm, while the silver-rank adventurer holding the spear—wearing sturdy armor—hadn't suffered any major injuries but looked utterly exhausted.
"…This is tough."
I was in the same boat.
Maybe because I was dressed so lightly.
Fighting those monsters had left scratches all over me.
I'd nearly had a chunk of flesh torn from my waist.
Chilling crises had come several times, but I'd somehow managed to escape each one.
Shan had pushed himself too hard protecting me and gotten hurt, so I felt guilty.
"…Sorry."
"Forget it."
"Is this place really safe…?"
Shan forcibly realigned his broken arm and looked up at the sky with me.
Storm clouds spilling blood on one side, clear skies on the other—sharply divided.
As if forcibly separated, like two different worlds.
The two landscapes, split as cleanly as if sliced by a sword, felt unreal.
But the weight of the blood clinging to our bodies brought the reality crashing back.
This is dangerous.
The space didn't seem to be expanding much larger, but I had no sense of whether it was safe to stay here.
I wanted to run far away, but first, I should ask the more experienced adventurer for advice.
Maybe this disaster was something I'd brought on.
"…It should be safe for a while. Demon realms slowly corrupt the surroundings, but it's a gradual process."
"…So that bizarre space keeps expanding bit by bit?"
"Destructive power, grotesque abilities not of this world… That's why demon worshippers revere demons with such implausible might."
"…They're fucking insane."
Not content to worship those grotesque monsters, they summon them directly.
No sane person would ever do that.
Even if they weren't sane, anyone capable of thought wouldn't.
Yet they did, probably because the rewards were sweet enough to outweigh it all.
"Do demons accept worshippers and grant their wishes?"
"No."
"…Huh?"
I'd thought they started this out of greed.
If demons don't even grant wishes, then why summon something like that?
Shan swallowed a pained groan and answered my question.
"…To be precise, demon worshippers believe the demons will grant their wishes. But from what I know, demons have never once fulfilled a worshipper's desire."
"Foolish and disgusting…"
Even without granting wishes.
Releasing such horrific monsters into the world was beyond my comprehension.
"They're blinded by power. No need to overthink it. This world's full of idiots."
The silver-rank adventurer grumbled as he removed his armor.
Blood pooled inside trickled down.
"…Damn it, talk about bad luck. Running into demon worshippers of all things."
The timing was too coincidental.
Where had these demon worshippers sacrificing the whole city to summon a demon come from?
And why on the day we were returning?
As Shan said, they were mad, so guessing their thoughts with common sense was pointless.
Still, curiosity mixed with revulsion welled up.
"What do we do now…?"
"First, we stand guard here and wait for the ones who went for reinforcements to return. Then we escape together. No city-sized force can end that mess."
"Yeah…"
Monsters that wouldn't die even to bears.
Giants blasting rays that shredded people.
I'd never fought an ogre myself, but demons were clearly far stronger.
"We survive, testify, and get gold-rank adventurers' help."
"…Adventurers have to handle it?"
"Temples could help, but they're too slow. No telling the damage by the time they arrive."
The temples could assist, but their response was sluggish, so entrusting it to the Adventurer's Guild was better—I let out a groan.
"Could… gold-rank adventurers handle that…?"
"If enough adventurers help a gold-rank reach the giant, they could take it down."
"…Monsters."
"Yeah, thanks to monsters stronger than giants, humans survive in this hellish world."
Shan stood and scanned me and the silver-rank adventurer.
"We set watches."
"…I'll take first."
"Then I'll do the middle."
"Last is mine, naturally."
I knew the middle shift was the hardest, but as the most useless here, I had to take it to pull my weight—so I volunteered for middle watch.
With that, we briefly scattered to gather useful things for camp.
Shan roughly dug a trench big enough for five with his axe, and the silver-rank adventurer foraged edible fruits and herbs.
I collected dry branches and stones to start a fire.
Camp was ready in three hours.
No need to worry about monsters—we'd wiped them out on the way back.
But the horrific space ahead was a bigger concern.
"Definitely slow."
On Shan's orders, I'd marked the space's edge with stones at intervals to measure expansion.
Even after three hours prepping camp, it hadn't grown a single step.
"It's widened a bit more, but at this rate."
It wouldn't cause more harm before reinforcements arrived.
"Good."
"Shan."
At my call, Shan shifted his gaze from roasting foraged mushrooms over the fire.
"You seem to know a lot about demon worshippers…?"
Even with no world knowledge, I could tell this wasn't common info.
The silver-rank adventurer beside us hadn't said a word.
"My parents were sacrificed to demons by worshippers."
"…Uh."
I hadn't expected such a heavy topic suddenly and froze, but regardless, Shan's story continued.
"So I mainly take demon worshipper hunting quests for revenge, and gathered knowledge along the way."
"…That must've been tough."
I didn't know what else to say.
I pitied him but felt awkward too, so I tossed out empty comfort. Shan stood and approached me.
"That's why I suspected you."
"…Suspected me?"
"Guys giving off your vibe are usually demon worshippers. But without solid proof, I couldn't just kill someone, so I stuck with you to confirm."
"Whether I was really a demon worshipper…?"
"Yeah."
So that's why he traveled with me.
It made sense now.
Even if he'd suspected me outright, helping me as an apology didn't add up.
But it was all to watch me and kill if needed.
He knew I was innocent now and was telling me this, but chills ran down my spine anyway.
More than that, I hadn't realized Gloomy Aura would draw such suspicion.
Until I figure out how to handle it, stay away from temples.
If temple folk thought like Shan, I'd be seized and purified by fire.
Scared of dying now? Hell yes.
Especially a pointless death.
"And I still suspect you."
"…I thought the suspicion was gone since you told me?"
"Seeing that happen right where a suspected demon worshipper stayed makes it impossible not to."
"……I swear, I'm not."
"Suspicion isn't certainty. I don't kill the innocent."
I hoped that was true.
For some reason—suddenly—Shan's attitude sharpened.
Maybe because of my suddenly risen villain trait.
"…This is unfair."
"Can't help it."
"…I know, that's why it's more unfair."
I bowed my head.
Luckily, I hadn't met Shan's eyes until now.
If I had, he might've branded me a worshipper and axed me.
Night deepened, and his gaze stung.
"Really… unfair."
My mutter got no reply.