Chapter 132: Walking a Tightrope (6)
Chapter 132: Walking a Tightrope (6)
I hurriedly yanked my hood forward to cover my face. Even so, the stare that seemed to have already guessed my identity showed no sign of letting up.
"Daniel hyung?"
"......."
Eventually, the student who had been listening to the explanation turned around as if sensing something off. But his movement was stopped by the teacher named Daniel.
Daniel fiddled with his waistband a few times, then glanced at the corner of my mouth and frowned. He turned away and tapped the student's back as if urging him to hurry.
"Shall we talk about the rest when we get back?"
* * *
"Marquis......."
"......Alright, alright. I'll do the paperwork. I said I'll do it."
He nodded at Dan's increasingly pitiful call and shook off all idle thoughts.
Well, he couldn't put off the paperwork forever. He steeled himself and looked down at the papers on the desk... wow, he really didn't want to do this. The paperwork had multiplied because of the war.
'Is it even worse because my body's all stiff and achy?'
To gather his wits, he leaned back against the backrest and stretched his upper body as far as he could, like a good long stretch. Almost at the same instant, a sword flashed past his eyes.
......Huh?!
"M-Marquis!"
'Crazy, what the hell! Why is a sword passing right in front of my eyes!'
Startled, without any time to think, he jerked his torso upright and sprang to his feet. At that exact moment, someone's chin—someone who had approached without him noticing—and his own fragile forehead collided with a loud *BAM!*
"Ugh...!"
"Ghk!"
'That hurt... Seeing sparks fly before my eyes, I must have hit pretty hard... But is the guy I hit okay? It was his chin, after all.'
He hastily braced one hand on the desk, rubbed his forehead a few times, then raised his head. The attacker, collapsed as if his legs had given out, and Dan, holding a sword to his neck, came into his clearing vision.
......No, on second glance, it was more than just holding a blade to his throat.
'What are you doing... Are you trying to kill him before we even find out who sent him?'
The blade had already partially bitten into flesh. He stared at the grisly, blood-soaked sight with a horrified expression, then shifted his eyes to Dan. Dan, having noticed this uncannily, merely moved his pupils to look at me, then fixed his eyes back on the attacker warily and muttered in an admiring tone.
"I thought so... You kept saying you felt chills earlier and were only half-heartedly doing the paperwork...."
"Huh?"
"You were on guard because you noticed someone had sneaked in."
"Uhh... yeah...?"
"Could that 'chill' have been a signal? I'm sorry I didn't catch on."
'Not at all... You don't have to apologize...'
Stubbornly ignoring the throbbing pain in my forehead, I rolled my eyes.
'...Well, whatever works.'
"It's... fine. You might not have known."
As time passed, I was becoming more and more shameless.
* * *
Until the soldiers Dan called from outside came rushing in and took the attacker away, another shadow who had been watching the entire scene from concealment muttered after a long silence.
"There was no need for me to step in."
As expected of a hero.
He had been uncertain, but now he knew for sure. From the very beginning, he—the Marquis—had been aware of the ones hiding in here. Even this shadow hiding here right now.
When he comforted his self-blaming subordinate by saying he might not have known, he had even glanced at the spot where the shadow was hiding. It was certain.
'...Well, I get paid easy money, so it's fine.'
Hadn't they asked him to protect the Marquis from the countless assassins to come?
It looked like the man would manage to survive well enough on his own even without him, but since he'd taken the money, he had to do his job.
To the assassins who, undeterred by the recent failure, were yet again slinking closer, the shadow moved, sneering silently.
'Some take money to kill, others take money to protect... I don't know what the hell this is all supposed to accomplish.'
* * *
What on earth was all this...
Dazedly watching the situation being tidied up neatly, I staggered over and sat down at the desk.
I think Dan babbled happily about how now that the irritating gaze was gone I was finally going to work... but I didn't want to hear it, so I just let it slide and ignored him.
'Okay. What just happened never happened.'
Whether I accidentally headbutted an attacker into submission, or got caught up in some incomprehensible misunderstanding because of it... anyway, all that embarrassing stuff is now erased. I'm deleting it from my mental record of past events.
'...Let's just shut up and do the paperwork.'
It's the best way to erase stray thoughts.
I let out a deep sigh and picked up the pen... then paused. Because a faint vibration was coming from my inner pocket.
My face crumpled involuntarily.
'I'm already exhausted—why does it have to be now...'
The side feeling the vibration was none other than the left.
So the thing in my left inner pocket... was the 'communication stone.' The device connecting me to the Demon King.
The right side held the 'communicator' linking me to the Emperor.
Neither was the kind of thing I could receive here. As I stealthily rose to move elsewhere, Dan, who had been sorting documents on one side, alertly lifted his head and reacted.
"Where are you going?"
"Just outside for a moment. I'll be right back, so wait. Don't follow."
"......."
"And not secretly, either."
"Yeees...."
Leaving behind his deflated voice, I exited the tent and headed toward an uninhabited area, letting out heavy sighs.
'What are they going to make me do this time?'
For now, things were quiet for whatever reason, but in the very early days when the Empire and the Demon Realm had just started the war, I'd been shuttled back and forth between both camps so relentlessly it was sickening, always forced to the front lines.
Dan had said there were rumors that the Hero Deon Hart and the 0th Legion Commander had similar fighting styles. No wonder. I'd been run ragged like that! So much so that most of my memories had flown away!
'When one side put me at the vanguard, the other side called me in and put me at the vanguard! Are they seriously competing over that too?!'
It wasn't a joke—it was really too much.
Thanks to that, our mad dogs and the 0th Legion were burning with competitive spirit as the vanguard of each faction, eagerly counting down the days until they could properly clash, unaware that their leader was the same person. Watching that... ugh....
'...Wait. Could it be they're holding back because of those rumors?'
My hurried steps faltered and slowed abruptly.
There was a limit to suppressing rumors, so ultimately the only option was to reduce the frequency of using me. At the very least, it was better to avoid putting me at the vanguard.
'So that's why...'
So that's why I'd been trapped in that paperwork hell!
I had an epiphany. Damn it.
......Anyway, having come this far, there shouldn't be anyone around. I couldn't sense any presence, but just in case, I glanced around, muttered a pointless "get lost," then pulled out the communication stone from my chest.
"Yes, I've received your call."
- Ah, Deon. Sorry to bother you when you're busy, but would you mind walking northwest from your current location? It's not too far. Probably about an hour on your feet.
'All of a sudden...? And an hour...?'
No, wait. Northwest from here... that was blatantly near the very frontline boundary line. Since my tent was located in the rear... to be precise, it would be a remote spot about fifteen minutes from the boundary line.
'This demon bastard... Even if this boundary line sees little fighting and has a relatively passive atmosphere, isn't this too much?'
What was he thinking, telling me to head there just like that? What if I got caught by someone on the way?
There weren't even precise coordinates. If I misjudged the direction and suddenly popped up right at the face-off boundary line, it would be the end. The end!
One might say what's so hard about picking a direction, but the boundary line existed on a mountain, so finding an accurate direction was difficult to begin with, and the terrain was so rugged that even moving in the intended direction was hard. Straight lines were out of the question.
- Don't worry about getting lost. If you end up going the wrong way, I'll let you know.
"Ah, location tracking... Understood. But may I ask the reason..."
'I told Dan I'd be right back. I'd better hurry.'
I quickened my pace, rubbing the mark above my collarbone on my neck with my thumb.
- Ah, did I not tell you? Sorry, you must have been startled. I've been a bit out of it lately.
"That's not it."
'Seems like you purposely didn't say.'
- Before that, you have your weapon, right?
"Yes."
- Then it's fine. It's nothing.
'See. You are purposely not saying.'
As for weapons, I'd been keeping them on me properly. I was fully armed, actually. Even though the opponent was the Demon Realm, for some reason, attacks had become more frequent lately, so I even took minimal precautions while sleeping.
Just the fact that I wielded the sword the Emperor favored most was enough to make me a target for more than enough people, so even setting that aside, it was a little amazing that they had the luxury to attack fellow humans while barely managing to contend with the Demon Realm alone. Whoever they were, I'd love to see their face sometime, really.
'...More importantly, not telling me the reason makes me uneasy.'
He kept brushing it off as nothing.
......Could it be he's trying to kill me?
'Really?'
'Should I turn back now?'
At some point, my feet had stopped. I stood there blankly, lost in thought. If I wanted to, I could turn back right now and not follow his words, but to do that....
'.......'
I belatedly realized I was still rubbing the mark with my thumb and removed my hand.
......To do that, there was no certainty he was an enemy. And I was in a position where I couldn't act first recklessly.
'...Seal this train of thought.'
The thoughts that were about to grow deep and heavy were cut off at some point.
What had I been thinking about? Right as I was reorganizing my memories, the Demon King, perhaps reading something from my unmoving spot and silence, carefully began to speak as if coaxing me.
- No, seriously, it really is nothing. Actually, I was worried you'd be disappointed and try to go back... That's why I didn't tell you.
"......."
- If you really can't trust me, I'll tell you. In exchange, you won't turn back after you hear it?
"......I'll hear it first."
- There's a pack of demonic beasts at your destination. It's not that large, and it's a level you could easily handle on your own, but...
'Great, I'm going back.'
- D-Deon? Why are you turning around... As I thought, is it too trivial? Are you annoyed I called you for something so minor?
"......."
- Please try to understand. Given the location, it'd be best to clear them out in advance, but I was reluctant to send a separate force....
'So I'm not a waste? You're just sending me as a sacrificial lamb, aren't you?'
If he could see my expression rotting by the second, he would've at least stopped talking. But the Demon King, who had no way of knowing my heart, continued in a nonchalant voice.
- Sending just you and diverting the troops that would go there elsewhere is much more efficient, isn't it? Plus, if I move troops now, I think it'll provoke unnecessary alarm. The Emperor's been sensitive lately.
"......."
- If it's really too much trouble, you can just scare them off roughly. The issue isn't the 'demonic beasts' but the 'location' they're in. Since it's near the boundary line, who knows what kind of variable it might become....
'What kind of superhuman out there can actually frighten a demonic beast?'
For now, I corrected my direction and walked, lost in thought. The Demon King's relieved voice coming through the communication stone grated on me for no reason, so I abruptly cut the call.
'Well, if I lose my way, he'll contact me again. More importantly...'
......It wasn't that I completely didn't understand the Demon King's situation. There was no point in fighting even here, and it would be a waste of resources.
This boundary line where I was now located was the one farthest from the capital, even within the Empire. It meant there was no reason for the Demon King's army, already attacking a few closer boundary lines, to advance through this place.
Even if they moved with the purpose of striking the rear, because of the sheer distance, word would arrive before they ever reached their intended target.
'No matter how much the purpose is to deal with demonic beasts, if they sent troops here...'
The Emperor, who would never just sit by and watch, would surely send troops in response. A pointless clash could occur.
That said, leaving the demonic beasts alone was troublesome, since they were a breed that attacked and devoured humans and demons alike. Moreover, it required manpower just to continually keep an eye on them and monitor their movements. In the end, sending me to handle it must have been the cleanest solution.
'I'm not strong...! I'm weak...!'
And that was only when I was strong.