Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: A Sickly Body Brings Headaches
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Cold sweat began pouring out, and even managing my expression became impossible.
Nameless, who had been relaying the information he heard from Camilla, noticed something off about me.
He frowned slightly and spoke up, his face etched with concern.
"Master? What's wrong?"
"...Hmm, it's nothing."
But that was all I could manage to say.
To begin with.
If I let slip here that I know that demon, and Lucius or Elia overheard by some chance, it'd be nothing but a headache.
Just telling Nameless that it was someone I'd met in the past gave me a nagging feeling it would ruin everything.
...And the real reason I couldn't tell Nameless weighed even heavier.
Why.
Didn't he pull that displeased face before, complaining about a strange smell coming from my body?
Just recalling it made my whole frame shudder.
Of course, years later now, he'd surely forgotten all about that strange smell...
"Hmm..."
...He forgot, right?
He definitely did.
Just once.
He'd smelled it only once back then—there's no way he'd remember.
Remembering would be the weird part.
I'd washed it off right away, and besides, it defies common sense to identify people by scent.
I nodded vigorously, trying to convince myself...
But unease still coiled through every inch of my body.
Nameless had shown bizarre habits before—like tracking me by smell—and plenty of other actions that defied logic.
My head throbbed.
In the end, all I could do was pray he'd forgotten that smell.
Nameless's gaze narrowed on me, but I forced myself to ignore it and stare straight ahead.
...
No matter how anxious I got, it didn't slow the party's pace. We pressed steadily toward our goal.
The massive snow-capped mountain we reached.
"The demonic energy we felt from the village starts here."
Elia said, her brows furrowed deep.
"...Lucius, this demon's probably on another level from the ones we've faced."
She added curtly that we should be extra careful, then cradled the rosario at her neck and stepped slowly to the front of the group.
I tilted my head.
"She says be careful, so why's she taking point?"
Sorry, Elia, but objectively, she had the lowest combat power in the party.
No—compared to us, hers was practically nonexistent.
To start with.
Lucius was a hero shouldering a grand destiny. Nameless and I were lifelong swordsmen. Elia, raised from birth as a saintess, couldn't possibly match us in a fight.
Like it or not, she was the protected one among us—not the protector.
Yet here she was, right at the front?
If things went south, she'd be the most exposed.
Puzzled, I cocked my head and voiced the question.
Lucius, stone-faced until now, gave a clipped reply that cleared it up.
"For tracking demons, no one in the Empire matches the Saintess."
"Hmm?"
"And no filthy demon's strike could ever touch her."
I'd asked Nameless, but the answer came from an unexpected source.
I glanced over at Lucius.
His blank expression cracked just enough—lips quirking up, brimming with pride.
"...Fair enough."
Nothing left to say.
I nodded, expression sour.
...
Elia halted abruptly and glanced back.
"...This is it."
"Got it."
Lucius nodded faintly, drew the massive sword from his back, and swapped places with her.
In front of the yawning cave mouth.
The party's advance ground to a stop.
A sinister aura, eerily like Lily's, seeped from within.
Sure enough, Elia was right—the demon was in there.
My brows knit naturally.
So... what now...
I scanned the group. No need to ask if the demon was inside; everyone but me looked rigid.
Nameless especially—brows slashed deep, like something grated on him fiercely.
Looking out of sync with the tension, I tilted my head in confusion.
...What's his deal now?
For starters, Nameless and I were supposed to half-ass a fight, then let the demon slip away at the right moment.
He knew that. So why the face?
Acting casual on purpose? But those brows screamed genuine fury—not theater.
Those were his truth brows, the kind that surfaced when I got caught sneaking his strawberries.
Exactly like that.
I sidled up quietly and jabbed his side.
"Nameless, what's eating you?"
He flinched at the poke, whipped his head toward me, and spoke in a low, chilling tone laced with displeasure.
"...Master."
"Hmm?"
Locking eyes with him, my body locked up, tension spiking.
Gulp. I swallowed hard and waited.
The spark in Nameless's eyes dimmed, pupils shifting to a rotten-blood hue.
"Kinda smells like something familiar from inside the cave?"
You madman...
He actually remembered by smell.
But even so, why the hatred?
I'd introduced the guy as my friend back then.
No issue there, right...?
Against my hopes.
Awkward under his stare, I pouted and averted my eyes.
"I-is that right?"
Feigning nonchalance.
Whoo-whoo. I whistled air and edged away.
"Anyway... shouldn't we regroup with them? Let's go."
"Master? Where you headed?"
Nameless clapped a hand on my shoulder—chin—halting me cold.
"Eek—"
"We haven't properly discussed how to handle that demon, have we?"
I wrenched my stiff neck around to meet his gaze.
His lips twisted into a grotesque smirk.
"So, what's the plan?"
Lily, why burden me like this...
Tears nearly welled up.
Lucius and Elia wanted the demon dead. Lily begged to spare it. And this cursed disciple? No clue what brewed in his head.
What the hell was I supposed to do...
A heavy sigh escaped.
But.
I couldn't just throw in the towel.
Misunderstandings clear themselves, don't they?
Resolve hardened. I nodded firmly.
And truth be told, Nameless had a point—we'd never hashed out details between us.
I'd slacked on clear talk.
Maybe that's why he was speaking up?
I flicked my hand, weaving a subtle barrier to muffe our words from Lucius and Elia, then leaned to Nameless's ear.
"Our endgame: get that demon out alive, somehow."
"Yes."
"But without raising suspicions from Lucius and Elia."
Frankly, it felt daunting.
Might have to ditch one side for the other.
Stern-faced with that in mind, I laid it out.
Nameless shut his eyes, head cocked in thought, then replied with startling simplicity.
"Then why not just beat the demon up a bit?"
"...Huh?"
What kind of talk was this?
"Lily told you to let it escape, right?"
"...Yeah."
Nameless's lips curved into a fine grin.
"Sounds like the demon's state doesn't matter much?"
"...What're you getting at?"
"So no acting needed. We go full throttle, pummel it... and won't it bolt on its own?"
"Lily wouldn't bother saving someone that weak," he tacked on briskly, flashing me a smile before stepping back.