Chapter 27: A New Hero (2)
Chapter 27: A New Hero (2)
Of course, having been through situations like this before, his mind remained calm and unshaken.
'If the dagger doesn't work, use a trap.'
He pulled out silver thread extracted from monster hide. Razor-sharp thread that could cut on contact if set up tautly.
He reached the place where the figure's steps were headed in advance, set up the silver thread, and waited for him to hurry along — but the man, who had been walking perfectly well, suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Then came an annoyed sigh.
He knew without it being said aloud.
'He noticed.'
There was no way stopping right in front of the silver thread was a coincidence.
It was clearly something difficult to see with the naked eye, yet he had spotted it even with his whole body wrapped up in a robe and black cloth. So his skills were not to be underestimated, were they?
He watched in high-strung tension, bracing for whatever reaction might come, when the man, who had stood there looking irritated for a moment, turned and grabbed a passing soldier.
"Do you know where Ed is?"
"He should be in his tent. Shall I summon him?"
"No, I'll go myself."
Oh no. He was going to reveal the intruder's presence.
He had to withdraw.
He had learned that the man's skills were not entirely false, so turning back now would not be without gain.
'But...'
Stubborn pride welled up.
A baseless confidence that just a little more, just a little longer, and it would work.
Even knowing this kind of confidence was the most dangerous of all, the assassin, swept by surging reluctance, could not bring himself to give up and followed behind him.
"Ed."
"Demon-nim?"
When the 0th Legion Commander pushed through the tent flap covering the entrance and stepped inside, the sleek-featured man seated at the table rose with a startled expression.
He was a face the assassin had seen in documents about key figures of the Demon King's army, so he quickly recognized who he was.
'The 0th Legion Commander's adjutant, Ed.'
A man who had been mentioned as a candidate for Legion Commander, no less.
Two dangerous individuals had gathered in an enclosed space. The risk of getting caught had doubled — no, tripled — and the assassin ratcheted up his tension further, holding his breath.
Fortunately, the 0th Legion Commander seemed not to have noticed. He sat down in front of Ed and spoke casually.
"Do you know anything about the new hero?"
The assassin had thought he was about to discuss the intruder. Why was he asking about Lord Cruel?
'What's his angle?'
Could he possibly have noticed that Lord Cruel had personally ordered the assassin dispatched?
If so, why? His Majesty could have ordered it. Or it could have been the arbitrary decision of one of Lord Cruel's subordinates.
A cold sweat trickled down his back. The assassin exhaled slowly and focused on their conversation.
"No. I've heard that the 2nd Legion Commander is currently investigating. He wears a helmet, so his face can't be seen, and the only thing known is that his swordsmanship is excellent...."
"......."
"I apologize."
"No, it's fine. But what's that?"
The robe obscured his vision of the man's eyes, but he could tell the 0th Legion Commander's gaze had shifted to the bottle on the table.
It seemed Ed felt the same, because a short "Ah" of exclamation escaped him as he rose from his seat. He then pulled another glass from a bag placed to the side, set it before the commander, and said,
"It's alcohol. Would you care to drink?"
"...Is that allowed?"
"Yes, this is a battlefield after all. A light drink to ease tension is permissible."
"Well, in that case."
The 0th Legion Commander picked up the bottle.
The glass was filled with liquor, and the moment he lifted it — the assassin hurled a small stone he had kept in his pocket to a corner of the tent.
Tap.
A small but distinct sound echoed inside the tent. Both of their heads turned simultaneously in one direction.
Right. Now was the moment.
With a flick of his finger, the assassin dropped poison into the glass the 0th Legion Commander had reflexively set down. Ed's glass, sitting on the table, was a bonus.
"What was that noise...."
"It seems to have been the sound of objects inside the bag knocking together. I just took out a glass, after all."
"Is that so."
The 0th Legion Commander, who also seemed to think nothing of it, lifted his glass and brought it to his lips.
And then, tilting it slightly, he set it back down before the liquid could reach the rim.
"Ed."
"Yes, Demon-nim."
"Has anyone come here?"
"No. There was no one besides you, Demon-nim."
"Is that so...."
The assassin's heart plummeted.
He really had to withdraw. If he stayed here any longer....
Urged intensely by something he could not tell was reason or instinct, he quietly retreated backward.
As if anticipating that very move, a nonchalant voice swept across the back of his neck.
A composed voice, as if saying that catching something like him was possible at any time.
"The flies are persistent."
There was no idiot here who would fail to grasp the meaning of those words.
Ed's expression hardened as he rose from his seat. Nearly simultaneously, the assassin also hastily pulled his body away.
To fight here was certain defeat.
He had a reason to return alive.
'I have to report.'
That the 0th Legion Commander's skills were not inflated.
'On the contrary, he's a dangerous one who toys with assassins....'
* * *
"Thi...s, is the 9th Legion Commander?"
That was what reflexively came out of my mouth upon seeing the remains of the 9th Legion Commander.
I stared down at it, my face surely gone pale.
The 9th Legion Commander I knew had certainly been a female demon-race with long, straight black hair. Her personality had been quite hearty too, so I had thought rather well of her.
Where in 'this' was that long, straight black hair?
Where was the face that had held that hearty smile?
Ground-up chunks of meat.
Seeing that — nothing more and nothing less — I was momentarily unable to continue speaking.
At first it was bewilderment, shock, and the emotion that flooded in afterward was worry.
'Am I going to end up like this too?'
No. If I participated in battle like this, I would 'definitely' end up like this.
Never mind heroes. I just wanted to go home.
I desperately, genuinely wanted to go home.
I fled the tent where the body was laid out as if escaping. I had come out so hastily that I nearly tripped over a stone outcropping.
"What's with the stone here...."
Do these bastards not even clear the paths?
At the very least, they ought to clean up the paths inside the encampment.
Even as such irritation flared up, I was examining every corner of the encampment, looking for a place to hide.
Then in a moment, as if snapping out of hypnosis, I stopped dead in my tracks.
'It's not possible.'
A faint sigh escaped me.
In truth, I knew it too. With so many eyes gathered like this, how could hiding be possible?
'But I can't just sit still either.'
My judgment was swift.
If there was no best option, then the second-best. Between the worst and the second-worst, the second-worst.
If I could neither run away nor hide, the options were few.
I grabbed any nearby soldier and asked.
"Do you know where Ed is?"
"He should be in his tent. Shall I summon him?"
"No, I'll go myself."
I had gone through the trouble of shaking off the guy who wanted to follow me. I wasn't about to call him back like I was running some kind of dog training drill.
Ed's tent was not far off.
When I stepped inside, Ed, who had been seated at the table, called my name as he rose in apparent surprise.
In response to that greeting, which carried the question of what business had brought me, I tossed out my business first, just as he wanted.
"Do you know anything about the new hero?"
"I've heard that the 2nd Legion Commander is currently investigating. He wears a helmet, so his face can't be seen, and the only thing known is that his swordsmanship is excellent...."
Damn it. If there's no intel, how the hell am I supposed to survive?
I racked my brain to find another way. It seemed Ed had taken my reaction as anger, seeing as how he had been cautiously watching me and then slowly lowered his head.
"I apologize."
"No, it's fine."
It seemed the people around me specialized in apologizing for things that were not even their fault. Without even knowing it only made things more awkward for me.
Anyway, thinking the mood was about to grow uncomfortable, I rolled my eyes around looking for another topic of conversation.
What entered my field of vision was the bottle on the table. Plus, a glass half-full as if he had been drinking just moments ago was practically flaunting its presence, as if daring me to look.
'...Alcohol? Wow....'
So you barred me from drinking, and you drank it all by yourself, is that it?
"But what's that?"
"Ah."
Letting out a short exclamation, he turned toward where his bag was placed and soon pulled out another glass.
And then, ever so kindly, he set the glass before me and said,
"It's alcohol. Would you care to drink?"
Feels like the order is backward, doesn't it? Shouldn't he ask if I'm going to drink first, then go get the glass?
But Ed knew me too well.
What fool would refuse alcohol that's hard to drink freely otherwise?
Of course, I had just enough sense of propriety that I hesitated before answering right away.
"...Is that allowed?"
"Yes, this is a battlefield after all. A light drink to ease tension is permissible."
"Well, in that case."
My face was covered anyway, so I grinned ear to ear without restraint, grabbed the glass while feigning reluctance, as if I had no choice.
Ed poured me a drink, and the moment I lifted it —
Tap.
A small but distinct sound of unknown origin struck my eardrums.
I reflexively turned my head to find the source of the noise. I saw a space that looked unremarkable.
"What was that noise...."
"It seems to have been the sound of objects inside the bag knocking together. I just took out a glass, after all."
"Is that so."
So I hadn't misheard. I briefly wondered if it was an auditory hallucination.
Inwardly relieved, I brought the glass to my lips. But before I could fully tilt it, my hand stopped. The back of my hand that set the glass down felt like it was burning.
Like an idiot, I had nearly drunk without undoing the cloth covering my lower face.
'Embarrassing.'
Did Ed see me as a fool? It'd be troublesome if he thought I was pathetic.
...Change the subject.
Hiding my mortified expression, I called Ed as calmly as I could.
"Ed."
"Yes, Demon-nim."
"Has anyone come here?"
You must have a personal life too, and you'd meet people, right?
So, as a way to change the subject, let's also hear a bit about you this time. Something like, whether you had any old comrades among the soldiers here, that sort of thing.
But unfortunately, Ed had a spotlessly clean personal life.
So clean, in fact, that he didn't have a single person here he was close with.
"No. There was no one besides you, Demon-nim."
"Is that so...."
You poor bastard.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and was looking at him with pitying eyes when I frowned.
I was going crazy from the constant buzzing of flies ever since I got here.
Of course, it was only natural for crows and flies to swarm on a battlefield, but maybe because it had been a while, I just could not adjust.
It felt like I couldn't hold back voicing this irritation, so in the end, I said it in a casual tone, as if in passing.
"The flies are persistent."
"!"
As if my words had rubbed him the wrong way, Ed shot up from his seat. Seeing his expression frozen stiff, I flinched inwardly.
What, what's with him? I wasn't even that irritably obvious, was I? I used polite speech properly, and my voice tone was fine too?
He strode around inside the tent, inspecting every corner. And then, finally picking up his glass from the table, he concentrated for a moment as if casting a spell, and with a coldly hardened expression, called for those outside.
He crushed the glass with his grip and murmured lowly.
"There was an intruder."
Alcohol and shattered fragments were dripping down from his hand.
After that, all hell broke loose.
Ben, who came running after hearing the news, saw the broken shards and the alcohol soaking the floor and snapped at Ed for a good while, demanding how he could destroy evidence. Then he took the glass still held in my hand and examined it for toxic components.
And as soon as he identified that it contained a deadly poison, the encampment was turned upside down under the command of the 1st Legion Commander Jeikar.
All soldiers went through identity verification, and the verified soldiers ran around searching for the intruder.
On top of that, I was receiving Ed's apology for not having noticed sooner....
"Due to my dullness, I failed to recognize the signal even though you gave it to me. I apologize."
No, I didn't know either? What signal did I give...? How did you even notice that? You're really a strange one.
Well, anyway, in this kind of situation, there was only one thing for me to say.
"It's fine."
The phrase I had been so sick of uttering while staying at the Demon Castle.
If I had really known in advance, I'd at least be able to accept his apology with an easy conscience. Ugh, my conscience pricks so hard I can't stand it.
At any rate, Ed also left to join the search, and left alone again, I sat blankly in front of the table, staring at the bottle.
There had been an intruder, but in the end there had been no damage whatsoever, so my mind was in quite a peaceful state.
Peaceful to such an extent that I was entertaining a thought that would have drawn expressions of contempt from anyone who knew.
'Was that bottle poisoned or not?'
Yes, I still had not let go of my lingering attachment to alcohol.