Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: To Move or To Wait
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We returned to the hut.
Truthfully, I didn't know if this place was safe.
But if every place was dangerous anyway, choosing somewhere we could at least escape the cold seemed rational.
“Here.”
Charles handed me something.
It was a potion.
“Why this?”
“To use, of course... You don't exactly look your best right now.”
I glanced down at myself.
I was covered in burns from the flames the demon had spewed.
“It's fine, put it away. This is nothing a little spit won't fix.”
Thanks to the recovery power of the Flame Arts of the Greatest, burns like these would heal in a few days.
My skin stung a bit, but it wasn't unbearable.
If things went as I expected, there would be plenty of opportunities to use that potion later.
I couldn't afford to waste it on something like this.
“This isn't the time to be bluffing.”
“Ruan, we're fine, just use it.”
“I said I'm fine.”
“You're not going to come asking for it again later, are you?”
“Do as you please.”
“Hmph.”
Charles snorted and put the potion back inside his clothes.
A moment of silence followed.
“…I’m just asking, but this isn't some kind of surprise show put on by the Bednickers, is it?”
Charles, who had regained some of his composure though he still looked pale, asked me.
It was an amusing guess, and I let out a dry laugh.
“What kind of insane family would bring in demons just to train their scions?”
“Right. Still, I thought if any family would, it'd be the Bednickers.”
“Is that really what people think of my family?”
It was Evan who answered my question.
“There are rumors that the Bednicker basement is crawling with captured demons, and that you torture them.”
“I've heard that one too!”
“Nonsense.”
“…Right.”
Of course, separate from that, it did seem true that the main family's basement held some kind of secret...
But no matter how slightly unhinged the Bednicker family was, they wouldn't do something as crazy as unleashing demons just to raise the difficulty of a training retreat.
Regardless of whether it was even possible, the Family Head's personality would never allow it.
‘The Iron-Blooded Duke would let a demon live within his own territory?’
That would be impossible, even if the sky were to split in two.
…Of course, that's not to say I didn't have my suspicions about other things.
There was still a traitor left in the Bednicker family, after all.
Hariba was just an idiot who'd been used. The mastermind who orchestrated the whole affair was still lying low within the family.
If that person had cooked up an even more insidious plan this time and put it into action, it wouldn't be completely out of the question for this hell to break loose on family lands.
“…Haa. The Bednicker territory was said to be the safest land from the cult, but to think something like this would happen here.”
“I know.”
Did an incident like this happen in my past life?
Not that I could remember.
In that case, did this happen because of me too?
I calmly compared my actions in my past life to my present ones.
The first things that came to mind were killing Osel in the Jewel Mountains and defeating Hariba at the main house.
Those actions might have been like poking a hornet's nest...
Then, the face of Pam came to mind.
If I hadn't done those unnecessary things, none of this would have happened, and maybe Pam wouldn't have died either.
So, depending on your perspective, you could say I killed Pam.
Groooaaar...
Just then, a strange cry echoed.
“...”
“...”
It came from far away, but we held our breath as if it were right beside us.
The demon we had just fought was that strong.
“…What do we do now?”
Charles asked for my opinion, but his tone was a little different from usual.
Before, his tone had been something like, “Alright. Let's hear what you have to say.”...
But now, it felt like he was trying to dump not just the responsibility, but the very act of thinking, onto me.
When I didn't answer, lost in useless thoughts, Charles spoke again in an urgent voice.
“How about we just wait here? No matter how big the forest is, this is Bednicker land. The family will surely deal with this soon.”
“I don't know...”
I wish that were true, but... that seems too optimistic.
The ones who caused this mess are no pushovers.
They were skilled enough to infiltrate Bednicker territory, and cunning enough to do so without leaving a trace.
For people like that to cause such a huge incident in the Bednickers' own backyard, they must have an ace up their sleeve.
They probably know that even if help comes, it will take a considerable amount of time, and they've calculated that they can achieve their goal in that window.
…Of course, revealing the whole truth would likely just shatter these guys' morale even further, so I kept my mouth shut.
“Well, say something.”
“Why are you stuttering?”
“Because the person who's always talking suddenly shut up!”
“...”
Now that I thought about it, I suppose I had become a bit quieter since seeing Pam's body.
“Hmm... what was the question? My thoughts?”
“Yes.”
If that's what you want, I'll tell you.
“I think we should start searching again.”
“…You're joking, right?”
“Unfortunately, I'm not.”
Charles said, his voice full of disbelief.
“Didn't you just hear the demons howling?”
“I heard it.”
“And you still want to go out there?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because it gives us the best chance of survival.”
“What?”
“United we stand, divided we fall. Ever heard that one?”
“Never heard of it.”
“How about, 'He who seeks death shall live, and he who seeks life shall die'?”
“First time I've ever heard that.”
Is that so?
Then again, most of the nonsense my third martial brother used to spout was new to me too.
Still, it seems perfectly suited for our current situation.
I don't know the exact number of demons, but there must be at least several dozen.
Even if I were to enter the White Flower state, it would be impossible to kill all of them.
“If we keep hiding here, we'll be safe for a day. Two, if we're lucky.”
I paused for a moment before asking.
“But what about after that?”
“What?”
“Three days, four, five, six, a week... do you really think those demons won't find us by then?”
“…Well.”
“Sooner or later, we'll have to fight the demons again. And next time, it won't be just one or two.”
I looked around at my team members and said.
“If we want to live, we need to even the odds. And we need to do it while there are still other scions alive.”
This is no longer about tests or competition.
None of that matters anymore.
So, in truth, what I was most curious about right now wasn't the situation of the other scions.
‘The instructors.’
What in the world were the Grand Master Teachers and the other instructors doing right now?
***
Master Teacher of Doctrine, Junian.
A formal priest of the Sun Cult and an Inquisitor.
And a Grand Master Teacher of the Bednicker family.
In truth, she was a special case among the Grand Master Teachers.
Most Grand Master Teachers, upon coming to the Bednicker family, would typically sever ties with their former positions and organizations.
But not Junian.
She was still a cleric of the Sun Cult, and still an Inquisitor.
In fact, Junian hadn't accepted the position of Grand Master Teacher for any particular reason.
The Iron-Blooded Duke, the current head of the Bednicker family, who was said to be feared even by demons.
She wanted to form a personal connection with the man and witness his skills for herself.
Of course, the Iron-Blooded Duke was an incredibly busy man.
At times, it was hard to believe he was the head of a Great Family; she'd heard he spent less than a month a year at the estate.
Perhaps because of that, Junian hadn't seen the Iron-Blooded Duke for some time after their first meeting.
She finally achieved her goal about three years after becoming a Grand Master Teacher.
Somehow, she ended up going on a demon hunt with the Iron-Blooded Duke.
A gray land, already deeply corrupted by demonic energy.
A domain of demons and monsters, a place known as the Dead Lands.
It was originally a mission assigned to the Inquisitors of the Sun Cult, but the Iron-Blooded Duke had joined them along the way.
It was there that Junian learned the truth.
The Iron-Blooded Duke was no mere demon hunter.
“…I can't tell who the real demon is.”
One of the Inquisitors standing beside her muttered as much and was promptly reprimanded.
Junian didn't show it, but she agreed with the sentiment.
Normally, a hunt required, above all else, thorough preparation.
A full complement of various weapons and tools.
Gathering information on the target.
Even an escape route in case of an unforeseen situation.
The reason was simple.
Even for a skilled Inquisitor, the chances of winning a direct confrontation with a cult or a demon were slim.
Therefore, what the Iron-Blooded Duke had shown them could not be called a hunt.
One does not typically call the act of slaughtering two hundred demons in ten minutes a 'hunt'.
“…Nothing unusual here.”
Junian looked up at the report from one of the knights.
He was from the Fang Knights.
She didn't remember his name.
“What are your orders? It seems pointless to search any further...”
“...”
The knight subtly expressed his fatigue.
The others around them felt the same.
‘Is this as far as I can go?’
The limits of her authority to command the knights under the title of Grand Master Teacher.
Junian nodded.
“Very well. You may all return.”
“What about you, Instructor?”
“I'll look around a little longer.”
What a waste of effort.
The knight said as much with only his expression, then gave a slight bow.
“Understood.”
As the knights departed, she could hear them muttering behind their backs.
“…I can't believe we've been working our asses off since dawn for this.”
“Strange signs in the forest... Has that woman not heard about Lord Asad's barrier?”
“They say Inquisitors are an odd bunch.”
“...”
The low whispers reached Junian's ears clearly, but she didn't bother calling them back to reprimand them.
She had dragged them out here on the pretext of feeling a suspicious presence in the forest, so she could forgive that much.
Of course, Junian hadn't revealed her true thoughts.
She couldn't possibly have.
Who would believe the insane claim that she could feel demonic energy on Bednicker land?
“…Hmm.”
Junian briefly looked up.
The dense forest, the dark and gloomy sky.
Perhaps a downpour of rain would clear the air.
“…Oh, Aton.”
Let all of this be nothing more than a groundless fear.