Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Abyss
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-Lucius
The village the Saintess and I visited to preempt a massive fire in the slums and the resulting surge in Demon King worshipers was called Cornell.
Before I could even act, the demon suspected to be the mastermind fled, and we blocked it off without a chance to do anything else... but I couldn't shake the lingering unease.
Still.
Since we'd pinpointed the demon's escape route, it probably wouldn't cause major issues.
If someone asked, "Couldn't they pull the same stunt somewhere else while we're chasing them?"
Honestly, I couldn't give a definite answer, but they probably couldn't.
The place the mastermind fled to was Ellen.
The domain of the Iron-Blooded Northern Duke.
It was the place that held firm to the very end even during the Demon King's massive assault in the past...
I wanted to think positively, at least.
Cornell itself was relatively large compared to nearby villages.
Thanks to that, it had a decent-sized church, but "decent" was still relative.
In the end, we couldn't expect much support.
And, as expected.
When I spoke to the bishop here, he bowed deeply with a face full of guilt.
He said if they sent out support, the church in this village would completely shut down, making it impossible.
As a substitute—though that's putting it nicely—he offered funds and said he'd send a few priests from the capital to relay the information.
Of course, I hadn't told him expecting support in the first place, and I was grateful even for that, so I nodded.
On top of that, with the Saintess here, it must be heaven's grace.
The distance was quite far, so I hadn't expected much, but we luckily secured a carriage heading straight to Ellen.
The carriage departed in five hours.
For some reason, I had a gut feeling this would be a long journey, so
while I stepped away to stock up on preserved rations...
That's when they appeared.
...That man was called Nameless, right?
I'd run into him before, when we visited the Demonic Realm called "Where Heaven Touches the Sky" for purification.
The location was memorable enough, but so were his skills—far beyond what his apparent age suggested—and his impossibly pure mana.
And his rather unusual attire stuck in my mind too.
Most swordsmen wear at least minimal armor to protect themselves.
I did the same.
But this Nameless wore no protective gear at all,
opting instead for thin, strangely styled clothes, probably to make himself as light as possible.
...Traditional garb from another country?
That could be it.
Glancing closely at the woman beside him, she seemed to be wearing a scaled-down version of the same design.
The main difference? Her sleeves were excessively wide and billowy, and her top was half-off.
...Definitely from another country.
Whatever the reason.
With the woman boldly baring her torso like that, and her features unlike any common around here...
She could be from some distant land I know nothing about.
Are the two lovers?
Or family?
Honestly, they gave more of a family vibe, but the way Nameless looked at her held a thicker, stickier affection than mere family.
Then they must be lovers.
Truth be told, whether they're lovers or family doesn't matter much to me.
I pushed aside stray thoughts and gazed at Nameless, who gave me an odd sense of familiarity.
For some reason, every time I saw that man, someone else I knew came to mind.
Before I returned here by that mysterious power.
There was a "Hero Party" formed to seal the Demon King.
Despite the name, it had only three members.
Me, Elia, and finally...
A man who handled magic so extraordinarily well that he outshone the Magic Tower's talents and joined the Hero Party outright.
He'd suffered burns over his entire body, so I never got a good look at his face—which I still regret—but every spell he cast was phenomenal from one to ten, so I remember them all vividly and will never forget.
"...Damn."
Thinking of him makes my head hurt.
Why does seeing that guy always remind me of that detestable bastard?
Still, that man and the one who'd traveled with me before are different people.
For starters, the one from my past used magic, while this guy's muscles and the sword at his waist scream swordsman.
No way they're the same.
And from our talk, he had no family or lover.
But doesn't that guy have a woman who looks like his lover right there?
...Right, the woman.
That's the problem.
Honestly, at first, I brushed it off.
Elia was just chatting with someone; nothing for me to worry about.
This might be rude to say, but...
The woman next to the man was so petite, it was hard to feel tense around her.
But it didn't take long to change my mind.
I have the ability to indirectly sense a target's power.
The one I used before, etching mana into my retinas to track demonic traces.
Because of that, I have a habit: sizing up new people's skills.
So naturally, I used it on them too.
The man had decent skills, as I'd seen before, but from the woman clinging to him like a lover...
I felt nothing.
At first, I thought her mana was too faint for me to detect, so I tried to dismiss it.
But locking eyes with her forced me to rethink.
For a split second.
Just an instant, I glimpsed it.
It was a deep sea of mana, an unfathomable abyss.
A power so vast that someone of my level wasn't even allowed to peek at her prowess.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Someone like that, and I never knew her in my past life?
If I faced her now, could I at least get Elia to escape?
Embarrassing as it is... probably not.
My grip tightened on the Holy Sword.
So, what should I do in this situation...?
The answer is simple.
Act without ruffling that monster's feathers as much as possible.
And if I can, pull her to our side for help in the great war three years from now.
...If I'm greedier, I'd love some personal guidance from her to boost my own strength.
I nodded.
My course of action was set.
-Heaven Cleaver
Lying with my head in Nameless's lap was nice for a moment, but
the Saintess's group staring so openly at me made me uncomfortable.
"..."
I'm the elder here—aren't they being too obvious?
Well, they don't know my age...
Feeling petty, I pouted and prodded the inside of Nameless's thigh to sit up.
"...Master?"
"Oof—cha, guess I need to shift positions."
For some reason, Nameless's eyes went wide and his body stiffened, but ignoring him,
I turned to the Saintess's group, still watching me even after I sat up.
Elia had some dissatisfied? Envious? ...Hard to read expression—what's that face?
Hmm, as expected, I can't read anyone but Nameless.
I only ever focus on faces intently for Nameless, so others' expressions escape me.
Not that I stare because I like his face—once he hit a certain age, his expressions barely change, so without focus, he looks emotionless.
...Feels like I'm making excuses.
Anyway, Elia alternated glances between me and Nameless with an inscrutable look, while that Lucius guy had been staring at me intently, brows furrowed.
What's his deal—why's he looking at me like that with such a dissatisfied face?
It's unsettling...
I tilted my head this way and that, pondering, until a sudden realization hit.
Indeed.
Lying down when it's not just the two of us was a bit rude.
Not that I'm minding their stares or anything.
Why would I care about weaklings like them?
I nodded and scooted my butt over to plaster myself against Nameless.
...A bit awkward.
"Nameless, put your arm around my shoulder."
"...Yes."
Due to our height difference, leaning on his arm instead of shoulder felt unstable, but with his arm around me, a strange sense of stability settled in.
Hmm, much better now.
A satisfied smile formed.