Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Whispers of the Saint
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After leaving the restaurant that sold grilled lizard, Anima and Taryon were strolling leisurely through the demon realm's night streets.
Mingling among the crowds of monsters and demon races, walking about as if no war had broken out, the two felt this sensation was quite a long time coming.
Lately, to subjugate the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings, they had almost no time to spend on such personal matters.
"Taryon, if we hadn't set out to defeat the Demon King, could we have spent time like ordinary lovers?"
Anima voiced a thought that suddenly came to her. Surviving in the demon realm, filled with all kinds of enemies and traps, was always a struggle.
If the person beside her now hadn't been there, she might have long since broken and fled from the depths of her heart's resolve.
The warmth felt at her fingertips and the cold night air of the demon realm reaffirmed that this moment was real.
"Then we probably wouldn't have met."
Taryon, who understood Anima's heart to some extent, chuckled lightly and answered her question in a casual tone.
Originally, elves or druids living under the World Tree had little contact with other races, and due to their longer lifespans, they often had peculiar aspects in their culture and values.
"If I hadn't set out to defeat the Demon King, I wouldn't have left from under the World Tree. For all my appearance, I'm quite cowardly..."
"Right, come to think of it, you were afraid of ghosts, Taryon? To me, they seem similar to spirits."
Anima recalled again the time when she and Taryon were on night watch together, and he screamed that a ghost had appeared upon seeing the dark thicket sway.
How could an archer with excellent tracking abilities be so timid? It made sense if he was sensitive because his senses were sharper than others.
"I always thought elves were either stuffy beings stuck in their ways or old-fashioned folks behind the times, but seeing that, I thought it was kinda cute."
"Please don't tease me. Unlike the continent, the demon realm was a situation where enemies could pop out anytime, and back then, we killed quite a few enemies, didn't we? It's perfectly reasonable to think ghosts or spirits could appear."
Taryon raised an eyebrow slightly, speaking as if his opinion was correct.
Because those who lived under the World Tree had an aspect of thinking that life was merely a concept that continued by changing forms.
"That's what's interesting. An elf famous enough to be called by the epithet 'Flora Divine Archer' is afraid of something as trivial as ghosts."
"Because people are something you can actually see and know exist, but ghosts aren't. Even if you try to shoot them with an arrow, it just passes through. Isn't that plenty scary?"
Taryon sighed deeply as he spoke. Even he, known for never missing a target once aimed at, couldn't defeat ghosts, beings beyond physical reach.
"Anima, you also bear the epithet 'Noble Spirit Mage,' but you still have a gentle and pure side to your heart, don't you?"
"That's right. Even though I joined the Demon King subjugation, the fact that I'm still a naive person unaware of reality hasn't changed."
Since childhood, Anima had grown up hearing she was a genius.
While most people spend a lifetime of time and effort yet fail to form a contract with a Spirit King, she could command four Spirit Kings like her own limbs.
The reason the Beastfolk Kingdom recommended Anima, not someone else, as the hero to send for the Demon King subjugation was all due to that specialness.
"So maybe that's why I liked you more, Taryon. You often showed a cautious and prudent demeanor, the complete opposite of me."
"...Being an elf doesn't automatically mean one is old."
"Ahaha, that's not what I meant! Taryon, do you really not know? Sometimes people feel attraction towards aspects opposite to their own."
Anima smiled softly while looking at Taryon. If she hadn't joined the Demon King subjugation, she might never have met such a lovely person.
Because all previous Hero parties had either died or gone missing, she too had joined thinking she would die honorably on the battlefield.
Being able to meet someone she loves like this, spend leisurely time, and dream of a future felt overwhelmingly happy.
"It's the same with Victoria and Astal. Who would have thought a genius mage who seemed to know only magic research and study, and a saint famous for her devotion and sacrifice, would become lovers like that?"
Anima mentioned the very person who helped make it possible for her to spend time with Taryon as lovers now.
The Perception Hindrance Magic Astal created for Victoria was what allowed them to survive in the treacherous demon realm, unlike previous Hero parties.
"That's true. Honestly, when I first saw the strange vibe flowing between those two, I was really surprised."
Taryon spoke with a slight pause.
One was a mage called a madman who would do anything to save people, and the other was a saint forbidden from contact with men.
Even Taryon, who quickly noticed the emotion of affection blossoming between Victoria and Astal, thought it was a misunderstanding several times.
"I thought Saint Victoria was badmouthing him, so I misunderstood that Astal had done something wrong..."
Anima snorted while reminiscing about the past from a few months ago.
Because Victoria was a person famous for her devotion and honesty, even chosen by the Heavenly God to be a saint, she never thought she would falsely slander someone.
Moreover, Victoria and Astal's relationship was usually hostile, often criticizing each other or fighting because they didn't like one another.
"It was also wrong that Saint Victoria showed such obvious signs of liking him, yet he showed no reaction, like someone with their libido removed."
Taryon scratched his chin with a finger, recalling times when Victoria called Astal saying she had something important to discuss, and he refused or acted clueless in between.
Even though she altered her clothes to a provocative, seductive outfit to an embarrassing degree for others to see, Astal never properly gave her a single glance.
"...Taryon, even if we succeed in defeating the Demon King, will we be able to enjoy moments like this again?"
Anima spoke in a troubled tone while looking at the night sky with sparse starlight and a faint moon. Because the memory of her pathetic self, unable to do anything against the Heavenly King Memoria, wouldn't fade.
Even if they killed the Demon King Ergothum, the thought that there might be casualties among the Hero party had crossed her mind.
"Perhaps we will? We have Sir Astal Kaisaros. He is a mage who creates hope even in moments of despair where everyone else gives up."
As if sensing Anima's anxiety, Taryon strongly interlocked their fingers and smiled reassuringly.
Without Astal, no matter how strong the Hero Kyle was, this party wouldn't have come this far.
When breaking through Bellamora's Illusionary Dream, or when victory had to be seized in Dullaham's arena, it was always Astal who took the lead to solve it.
"Then his epithet would become 'Mage of Hope' instead of 'Harmless Mage.'"
"So what? If we just succeed in killing the Demon King Ergothum, we can use the Hero party's authority to bestow a new epithet on him."
Taryon said this while gently pulling Anima along. If worrying or fretting wouldn't change anything, he thought it was much better to cherish this moment.
"...Mage of Hope. Thinking about it again, it seems like a good name."
Anima giggled upon hearing Taryon's cheeky remark.
Her unconsciously slowed footsteps lightened with her lover's help, allowing her to move forward.
"So, have you noticed to some extent now? Earlier, Astal mentioned that among the people following us, there seemed to be a strange one."
"Yes, compared to the group that doesn't even pay us any mind, someone who keeps secretly showing interest is bound to stand out."
Taryon and Anima smiled brightly, seeing that the plan they had discussed with Astal had come together.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The reason I told Taryon and Anima to spend a natural time like this had another reason I couldn't tell the others.
Because I anticipated that if lovers walked the night streets together, they would inevitably talk about life after the Demon King subjugation or voice anxieties about the future.
Even if they talked about the Demon King subjugation while using Perception Hindrance Magic, people around wouldn't even know Anima and Taryon existed, but...
"...Someone who keeps sneaking glances like you, or tries to maintain a certain distance to check expressions or mannerisms, is bound to stand out."
Memoria, whose level is different from mine, is an exception.
In Memoria's case, she has an obsession with wanting to resemble humans and know everything about them, so she would definitely show interest in something like love.
No matter how much she tortures and coaxes the people kidnapped to the demon realm, she won't find anything comparable to the natural emotions of love among humans.
In the end, my ploy worked, and Anima and Taryon had identified and restrained a man wearing a deeply pulled-down hood with their respective weapons.
"Hello, Memoria."
"……!!!"
"Absolute Zero."
I greeted him warmly while casting a spell that lowered the temperature of the surrounding area to sub-zero and froze it solid.
To deal with something formless like a slime, this method of freezing and shattering it was the most efficient.
Having studied and experimented on slimes more than anyone while at the Blue Magic Tower, and learning their characteristics, it was a plan I could come up with.