To a Distant Land (8)
I saw a white ceiling marked with a checkered pattern. Sheeek, sheeek. Somewhere, it seemed I could hear the sound of breathing.
Then, if I followed the single line that had caught at the edge of my vision…
───!
"Not yet. Not yet. So please…"
Ah. I see. I'm still…
With the presence of tears sliding free, my vision brightened. It was not a complete brightness.
A cave steeped in the faint scarlet of torchlight filled my sight completely.
Because of it, the white I had glimpsed in the dream was wholly buried. That color—so deeply longed for, and so utterly sorrowful—scattered and was gone.
In a form where I no longer even knew what I had forgotten, only the emotion itself remained.
【Ah, ah! He's awake, he's awake!】
I wanted to soak a long while in that grief. At the same time, I wanted to smother it and forget.
【He's awake!】
Yet in life, there are moments when even the right of choice is never given. Just as it was for me now.
【You must have been in so much pain. The tears…】
【…He shed tears?】
【Yes.】
Before the voices from farther off could draw near, I lifted my left arm and covered my eyes. The concept was… the concept never shows tears to others. That was the reason.
"Demon Knight. Have you woken?"
And at the exact moment I pressed my hand over my eyes, the Archmage approached.
"Do not force yourself to move. The poison has been neutralized, but its aftereffects are considerable."
Is that so. Well, I had collapsed the instant the snake's fangs pierced me. It was a miracle I hadn't died outright. When my vision went black I had thought, so this is it.
Along with those thoughts I completely put my emotions in order. It was not difficult. I simply had to focus on the concept. On the concept that was not me.
"The situation."
That way I could cover the wretchedness as well, and settle everything I needed to do next all at once.
"…Do you remember collapsing from the snake's venom?"
I did not bother answering. The Archmage seemed not to have expected a reply either; she did not wait long before continuing.
"Treating you on the spot was not feasible, so we sought a little help from the forest dwellers. This cave and the antidote were both provided by them."
Setting aside the question of why a cave, no wonder an unfamiliar voice had been mixed in. So the people I had saved were the ones helping us.
"As for the snake we had captured… it was devouring even the chains I had forged of mana while it fled, so we had no choice but to kill it."
They killed the snake? Subduing it hadn't been difficult, so I didn't feel particularly regretful—but still, was that all right?
"Even so, I have already contacted White Wind, so do not worry overmuch. The urgent fire has been put out; rest well here and then we can return."
That was roughly everything I needed to grasp. I slowly took my hand away. In the process I casually wiped the tears as well—a free bonus.
It had only been a single drop. No one would have noticed, right?
"…Does your shoulder hurt? The wound itself was completely healed, but…"
For an instant the Archmage asked with a slight hesitation. I wondered why she was being so careful around me, but it was not a question I could not answer.
Sssk.
It was a question I simply chose not to answer.
"……! Do not get up. You still need more rest."
Ignoring the Archmage's words, I tried to rise. And—wow. The moment my back left the floor by about ten centimeters, gravity slammed into my body.
It did not hurt, yet my whole body felt stiff and locked. Especially the right shoulder.
"Did I not say all the urgent business is finished? Rest, please."
Ugh, there was truly no strength left in my right arm and shoulder.
Evading the Archmage's restraint, I checked my arm. It was a somewhat unconscious motion, and thanks to it I witnessed one shocking fact.
"Get out!"
No wonder the blanket covering me had felt far too vivid! Forget the gauntlets—where had my clothes and bandages gone!
"Demon Knight—"
"I said get out!!"
I poured every scrap of strength I had and didn't have into driving the Archmage out. I knew she had stripped me for treatment, but from the standpoint of the concept it was absolutely unforgivable, so of course.
"…Your clothes are here. And… do not overdo it."
In the end the Archmage yielded. I succeeded in being left alone in the cave.
Even if I had spent every bit of strength I had left just on shouting, so I would have to put off picking up and putting on the clothes for a while.
Hnnngh.
"…Cold."
Yet when I actually tried to postpone getting dressed, bare skin meeting the air brought a strange, creeping chill. It was a cold that would not vanish even if I pulled the blanket over myself.
In the end I gritted my teeth, forced my upper body up, and gathered the clothes piece by piece.
I began with the bandages. Thanks to their auto-cleaning and repair function they were always useful; the bandages began slowly wrapping my right arm.
"Something feels missing…"
But something—something—felt as though I had forgotten it.
Starting from the palm, climbing the wrist, the forearm, the elbow, I kept turning over that odd unease. And the moment the bandage reached just short of the shoulder, realization struck like lightning.
The sealing mark was gone.
"Huh…?"
Had the Archmage removed it for treatment? I didn't see it among the pile of clothes.
I blankly groped the place where the seal had originally been. The point where the triceps and deltoid met. It was also the point where the black-stained skin returned to its original color.
Because I could never take the seal off, every time I washed I had to avoid the seal and the bandages caught under it while scrubbing my body; the scar left on the shoulder—ever since someone said it smelled, I had been scrubbing a bit harder—caught roughly under my fingertips.
I had a spare, so I would just put that one on for now.
I twisted my body to look for the inventory bag. Rustle. Something twitched atop the blanket spread on the floor. Not a living creature—something like a scrap of metal.
"…Whoa, that scared me."
For a second I thought it was a cockroach and nearly jumped out of my skin.
I reached out and examined what it was. Amusingly enough, the whereabouts of the seal I had been searching for were right here. For reasons unknown, it must have broken while I slept.
Well, having a confirmed result was still better. Better the conclusion "it broke for some reason" than "it vanished without a trace." That was less unsettling. But…
I debated whether I should tell the Archmage about this or not.
Well, I should tell her, but lately her nagging had been way too severe. If she found out it was smashed again she would definitely say something.
Yet not telling her felt wrong too. Things like this had a way of becoming flags later on.
In the end I resigned myself with the mindset of just taking more nagging. In exchange, my heart felt lighter as I finished wrapping the bandages, affixed the spare seal, and fully dressed. Partway through, sensation returned to my right arm, so it was not particularly hard.
Though I still had no idea where the chest protector White Wind had given me had gone.
Seriously—why had the chest protector vanished again? That thing was dangerous if mishandled.
I felt a little bad suspecting the people who had helped us… but they couldn't have taken it, right?
【Ah, he's out!】
【What? Already?】
Grumbling inwardly, I forced my body out of the cave. The sole comfort was that nothing else besides the chest protector was missing.
【He shook off Chibinung's poison in less than half a day?】
【Even the valiant warriors of the forest suffered for three full days and nights!】
【Must be a strong warrior.】
【So what? He's carrying a curse in his right arm!】
【Not an illness?】
【They said it wasn't an illness.】
Yet what met my eyes when I stepped out was a cluster of houses gathered in a circle around the cave I had been in, and the people strolling among them.
Those who easily noticed my emergence focused their gazes on me.
This was a new sensation again.
Not only because of the attire that called primitive tribes to mind, but because their shared outward features differed greatly from the four races I usually encountered.
The Slend I could set aside—only their ears were pointed, after all.
Even the Cueoty and Shagi, which in reality would have been treated as non-human, were appearances I had often seen as a gamer, so for the most part I could pass over them without surprise…
These people, however… separate from looking like Cueoty, they were rather unfamiliar.
Whether Cueoty or Shagi, if I had to pick animals similar to the appearances I had seen of them until now, they all belonged to vertebrates. Mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and so on.
But these people… they rather looked like… spiders? If I had to pick something similar.
【So what if he carries a curse. Since he killed the Chibinung for us, he is my benefactor. If I could, I would take that curse in his place.】
【Was he really bitten? That upright posture is exactly that of a warrior fully prepared.】
【Outsiders really only have one pair of arms. How hard must it be to live with only one pair of arms? You can only do one job at a time!】
Of course I did not dislike them or mean to discriminate.
I had simply been startled because this was my first time seeing Cueoty who resembled arthropods; after a few encounters even this would stop drawing my eye.
Still, the way they whispered while looking at me got on my nerves. What exactly were they talking about regarding me?
Not understanding their words only made me more curious…!
"Did I not tell you to rest more. You truly are… stubborn."
Then my savior arrived. I had seen that face only a few minutes ago, yet I was oddly glad. It felt like meeting a fellow Korean abroad.
"How many saw."
But as always, the concept came first.
I considered first telling her about the smashed seal or the missing chest protector, then decided the concept would prioritize something else and changed the subject.
Right. If it was the concept, it would have no choice but to care first about the right arm that was practically a private part.
So, gripping my right arm, I pressed her almost interrogatively. The Archmage's cyan-silver eyes regarded me quietly.
"I asked how many saw……!"
"…Not many saw it directly. The seven who were present at the scene, one healer of this settlement, and the two who assisted him. If I include myself, that makes eleven."
Eleven? Was that so-so? Tch. Or not?
I pressed my lips tight and put more force into the hand gripping my right arm. Thanks to the gauntlet, squeezing hard would not even leave a bruise anyway.
"…I am sorry. For failing to protect to the end what you wished to hide."
And she was apologizing for this? Why? There was no need to apologize.
"However…"
Nothing is more awkward than receiving an apology from someone who has done nothing wrong. Both to follow the concept and to cut off the Archmage's words, I strode right past her.
Fortunately she did not try to stop me.
But at this rate, when was I supposed to talk about the seal? I also needed to ask about the chest protector. This was bad. Would a chance to speak come later?
I scratched my head—purely in imagination, of course. No need to make my image look like the neighborhood idiot—and slowly left that area. Once I passed through the wooden walls surrounding the cave and the nearby houses, a street of pit-houses that looked like ordinary dwellings spread out.
Even more persistent gazes poured down than before.
But this sort of thing was nothing. I cut across the street and completely exited the settlement.
At last a jungle-like dense woodland filled my vision.
Because of it, the body that had been advancing without hesitation faltered.
Uh… if I go a bit far I won't get lost or anything… right?
I rolled my eyes a little and, for the first time in a while, opened the map. It was a map that could not even be zoomed, but it was good enough for getting my bearings.
But…
"Damn it."
After the quest window, the world map was glitched too? You've got to be kidding me.
I ground my teeth as I stared at the bleached window. The thoughts I had deliberately postponed by pretending to forget began to surface again. Naturally, in the process, the emotions I had smothered were dragged up with them.
Things I wanted to ignore and deny to the very end slowly or swiftly, gradually, tightened around my throat.
I was clearly on the ground, yet I felt as though I had been sunk beneath a lake; I could not breathe. Every sound in the world turned muffled, as if submerged in water.
【Um…】
At that moment a voice came from behind. It was probably a call directed at me.
There was no one here but me, and the owner of the voice was approaching while speaking.
【Wh-what do we do. Earlier it looked like he couldn't speak our language.】
【Should we go fetch the Shagi outsider?】
【They looked like they were arguing earlier. He might be upset because we saw the curse.】
【Yeah, I'd be upset too.】
Of course the language barrier still blocked everything. I returned the hips I had half-turned to look back to their original position.
Those approaching flinched in surprise and then came scampering right up to me.
【Th-thank you! We lived because of you!】
【We went hunting near the border to avoid the Jatav tribe and never expected to meet a Chibinung. We're really grateful. If not for you we all would have died!】
Considering we could not communicate, I watched them flail as they tried to convey their meaning. Even that alone made the gratitude they transmitted small and transparent.
The rising rage subsided to some degree.
The thoughts that had been sinking into the mire cleared away at nothing more than their single smiles.
【You're the greatest warrior.】
【Having only one pair of arms and eyes is a bit much, but the face itself looks pretty handsome.】
【Hey, that's not a compliment.】
【But you're huge. The Shagi outsider too—are all people from outside that big?】
It was only a temporary measure, but better than nothing. I left the chattering ones alone.
If I followed the concept I would drive them off. I was a little too tired for that kind of calculation.
【It would have been better if we could talk!】
【Right, then we could ask so many more things.】
【Should we call Makaka?】
…I was too, too exhausted.
【Huh… ah! It's the envoy party!】
【They're finally returning!】
And from the far side of the forest, a group raising banners gradually came into view.
The Archmage regarded the residential districts divided like fried eggs into elite personnel and ordinary residents, and among them the ordinary residential district that housed the wounded.
From the outer wall surrounding the ordinary district, a group was currently entering.
"Hmm."
She stroked her staff as she observed the group.
The tribe that had aided them was Serhang, symbolized by the leaf pattern. The emblem on the banners held by the group now entering was different. Meaning they were another tribe.
【Was the reason the leaders of the tribe went out to meet the envoys of another tribe?】
【Ah, did I not mention it?】
Treating the Demon Knight was, considering the lives of the hunters he had saved, no debt at all.
Yet there was still propriety; she had intended to meet the chieftain of the tribe and convey at least the minimum of gratitude, but…
【Yes. With the Katina period beginning, they went to receive the envoys in order to solidify the alliance.】
Had she known that the leaders were absent for such a reason, she would have left early even if it violated etiquette.
The Serhang tribe treated outsiders relatively well, but other tribes thoroughly disliked them.
Moreover, the only reason they had been able to set foot in this settlement was the unilateral decision of the hunters they had rescued. In other words, the chieftain and high priest still did not know of their existence.
In that situation another tribe's envoys arrive? And if those envoys discovered them and made an issue of it?
【Having outsiders stand out during such an important matter would do no good. Once we find the Demon Knight I intend to leave at once—could you convey our thanks to the chieftain and high priest in our place?】
【Eek, you're leaving already?】
Both they and the leaders of this tribe would only end up in mutual trouble. Rather than endure such a disturbance, it was better simply to become the rude ones.
Besides, those people did not even know their identities, did they?
【The people of the Great Forest are not fond of outsiders. An alliance is an important matter, and we do not wish to cause trouble over it. Therefore…】
【Ah, if that's the case it's fine. I heard the current Bigabol chieftain is friendly toward outsiders.】
【Is that so.】
Even so, there was no need to get involved. She agreed politely yet did not withdraw her opinion.
【Um, if you wanted to leave without being noticed, I think it's already too late.】
【What do you mean?】
【Over there. Isn't that your companion?】
She had not wanted to withdraw it.
"…Demon Knight."
If only the Demon Knight had not been entering together with the envoy party, she would not have had to.
The Archmage's hand pressed to her forehead.