That's Enough (3)
"Hey, are you sure it's really all right for us to just show up like this?"
"Visiting another tribe's village without prior notice is certainly rude... but since we're allies for the moment, I believe we can smooth it over somehow."
"Even while you're already thinking of discarding that very alliance?"
"It can't be helped. We're the ones who got stabbed in the back first."
Not long after the rogue and the warrior had set out, the Jatab forces suddenly withdrew. Thanks to that, they were able to head toward Bigabol territory...
Right now, White Wind was traveling alongside the chief of Serhang.
"It's not anything minor—this involves Lord Sangun, after all."
As for the cause, well. The encounter with Sangun that White Wind had idly asked about seemed to have been the spark that intensified everything.
"If they were merely bluffing without any real contact with the Swamp Priests, then—apologies for saying this to all of you—it would be welcome news for us. But if they truly can make contact... yes. The moment that is confirmed, every tribe in the Great Forest will turn their blades on Bigabol. And since our tribe is allied with them, we risk being dragged into the fire as well. I have no intention of standing by and watching that happen."
"I see. But is meeting Sangun during the Katina period really such a sensitive issue?"
"Anyone chosen by Lord Sangun ascends immediately to the seat of Great Chief, regardless of the Katina's outcome."
"Shouldn't someone chosen by Sangun be respected instead?"
"Yes, you're right. The tribes of the Great Forest used to think so as well. But eighty years ago, a man who lacked the confidence to win the Katina recruited the Swamp Priests, lied that he had received Lord Sangun's choice, and became Great Chief. He exploited the fact that Lord Sangun rarely reveals himself."
"Ah. And then?"
"Yes. Ever since, unless Lord Sangun displays his choice before everyone's eyes, it is dismissed as a lie. Naturally, the Swamp Priests themselves forbade contact in order to avoid suspicion."
If that was the case, the Serhang chief's wariness made sense. White Wind pouted, thinking these tribes sure had all sorts of peculiar rules.
"Once we cross this hill, Bigabol's village will come into view."
"I see."
Yet the air seemed strangely restless...
White Wind felt her breath growing short as she took the final steps. Beyond the hill, the view gradually opened.
"A battle?"
"...Damn."
So that was why the Jatab had withdrawn—apparently for this. They clicked their tongues at the sight of Jatab and Bigabol locked in combat. At this rate, they could not enter Bigabol territory. No—even if they could, they must not. They would be swept into the fighting.
"We should turn ba—."
"Wait."
At that moment, the Hero, who had been bringing up the rear and boosting the mages' stamina, sprang forward. Hair that had begun to brush her neck swayed with the motion.
"I sense a curse."
"What?"
"I'll go ahead!"
What on earth? Suddenly? Why?
White Wind blinked, then hastily focused her mana. Though not her specialty, the basic precision-search spell she had learned as a foundation sent its senses spreading in every direction.
"...It's real!"
"W-what is happening? Should we really let her go alone...?"
"That's not—no. 【That's not the issue right now! A curse has erupted over there!】"
Anything tied to demons left no room to stay out of it. White Wind shrieked about how the incident kept ballooning, then urgently chased after the Hero.
"W-wait."
"Chief, what should we do?"
"...A curse means it is connected to demons. There must be no demons in the forest under Lord Sangun's care. We go!"
"Yes!!"
Without grasping the full picture, the Serhang people followed as well. In an instant, a three-way confrontation among the tribes was taking shape.
"S-save me!!"
"It's a curse! A curse!!"
"Those Jatab madmen—what the hell did they bring!!"
"Death is coming!!"
"C-Commander! Commander, please save me!"
"W-what. What did those outsiders give u—!"
Dev possessed a natural talent for erasing his presence, so he had simply planned to use it to free the hostages.
Yet somehow the situation had ended up like this.
I looked at the black water beginning to spread through the center of the village. It reeked of death and decay.
My right arm itched.
"Fall back, fall back at once!"
"Run!"
I could not stand by and watch. I plunged into the midst of those who were helplessly dying. From experience I knew it was fine so long as it did not touch bare skin, so I felt no hesitation.
"Aaaagh!"
Whoosh!
I yanked people free of the rapidly spreading black water. More precisely, I seized those on the verge of being swallowed and flung them backward.
"Raise a wall, mage!"
"Earth, rise and harden."
Perhaps the Archmage was better suited as a supporter than a dealer. In any case, earthen walls surged up and blocked the black water. I kept tossing people behind them.
Bigabol, Jatab—there was no need to distinguish affiliation. Before this plague, fighting was meaningless.
"Ah, the children!"
Ah, dammit.
My eyes flew wide at the sight of the water already reaching the place where the children were held hostage. Those hanging were relatively better off; the problem was the ones clustered and forced to their knees on the ground.
Among every power and skill I possessed, not a single one could safely rescue every last one of them.
"O God!!"
Dammit. Then at least as many children as I could carry—
"Purge the impurity!!"
In an instant a massive storm of light came crashing down. Even as my HP plummeted, an inexplicable laugh escaped me.
"Not bad."
"......! Demon Knight!"
Uwaaah! Our Kimchi Mandu really nails the timing! As expected of the Hero! Our dumpling is the best!!
I glanced at her flushed cheeks and tore free the ropes binding the children.
The ones who had been guarding them had already fled far back, so there was no interference.
"Save the others as well."
"Th-thank you."
I held out a dagger to the children and pointed to the ones still hanging. At the simple yet clear signal, the children's eyes lit with exclamation marks before they quickly nodded.
We were on the same wavelength.
"Hah! More importantly, Demon Knight—why a curse...?"
So my next task was this side, was it.
I turned the Inquisitor's question over in my mind. Well. I had seen the Jatab throw it, but even I had no idea why they possessed the thing. That thought was a bonus.
First, grasp the situation. I swept my gaze across the forced lull.
Plenty of Bigabol who had taken direct hits had gone down, but the Jatab casualties were nothing to scoff at either. Most of the warriors who had been clashing were either dead or writhing under the curse.
With the Inquisitor saturating the surroundings in holy power they would not die any further, but it was obvious they would suffer in agony until fully healed.
"Who threw it."
Yet they had brought this on themselves. Of course I doubted the rank-and-file had known the full effect...
Were they children? No. Why should I feel pity for adults who could look after themselves—adults who had started a war—just because they died??
I could feel sorrow over death. But the ones I most needed to pity right now were the innocents who had nearly been sacrificed.
"I asked who!!"
Moreover a curse item linked to demons had made its entrance, hadn't it? My concept's temper absolutely could not stand for that, could it?
These bastards really did every kind of thing. One side abandoned their humanity and the other joined hands with the ones who abandoned it—was this real? And the fact that those very people had the highest chance of being chosen as the next Great Chief—was that also real?
Disgusting.
"What in the world is going on!"
In the middle of it another faction arrived. I raised an eyebrow after confirming the Magic Tower people and the Serhang chief pouring through the breached wall.
"What indeed is going on."
White Wind came scurrying over, carefully holding her pointed hat so it would not fly off. She covered her mouth at the sight of the chaos as an afterthought.
"I'd love to take one as a test subject. That wouldn't be allowed, would it?"
...Let us pretend that last remark never happened.
"You...!"
"Chief of Serhang! Perfect timing! As our ally, please lend us your aid...!"
Having repositioned his warriors and reorganized the line, Atart cried out urgently. The Serhang chief glanced his way and hardened his expression.
It was the face I myself often made when meeting someone I did not want to see. In other words, the smile-on-the-outside-while-flipping-the-bird-behind-my-back face.
"I did not come here in the capacity of an ally. Upon hearing our guest's words that demonic energy had been observed, I volunteered as guide in order to resolve the matter."
"Yes! Exactly that! It was the Jatab who did it!"
"If that is trul—."
Rumble rumble rumble!!
Yet how many words had Atart and the Serhang chief exchanged? Without warning the earth shook.
"W-what."
The Inquisitor seemed a little startled, but I was simply... meh. Since arriving in this region it had been one thing after another.
At this point even surprise barely registered. I was merely curious how many surprise events there would be.
"Lord Sangun!"
Correction. I was surprised. Jörmungandr was in the sky.
"L-Lord Sangun...!"
I slightly narrowed my eyes at the white snake filling the heavens. Those characteristic round snake eyes kept it from looking terrifying, yet it was simply too big!!
Not a king snake, not a waaaah snake—that thing was just a great-big-waaaah snake!
[Whoa, ma. These crazy bastards, huh.]
Just then the snake's mouth parted slightly and a sound like a ship's foghorn rolled out. Oddly enough, the words reached my ears with perfect clarity.
[This ain't even a ritual to kill the forest. Why y'all commitin' suicide in my woods? If you're gonna die, die alone without draggin' others down with ya.]
But why did the accent sound so folksily rustic...?
[Ah.]
At that moment the snake's gaze met mine. Its eyes blinked twice, then its gaze rolled around awkwardly.
[If these bastards here maybe rubbed ya the wrong way... or made ya angry...]
Hold on. Why was something that huge acting so polite.
[I'll apologize in their place, so please just leave the forest alone...]
...I hadn't done anything special, so why did I suddenly feel like a gangster?? Hello???
"Lord Sangun has arrived! Everyone, pay your respects!"
Then the people riding the snake—or was it a lizard?—came scrambling over the walls and buildings to take their places. Their attire was unmistakably that of priests, so identifying them was easy.
That enormous snake could not be an ordinary creature, and the way everyone around immediately prostrated themselves the moment it appeared made it clear this was "Sangun"... which meant those priests had to be the Swamp Priests who served him.
"Lord Sangun!"
"Lord Sangun!"
"Please forgive us!"
"Deliver the forest's judgment!"
It was, in short, a thoroughly worshiped snake. Serhang, Jatab, Bigabol—everyone forgot the situation of moments before and performed full prostrations, pleading with the great serpent.
"You there! Show proper respect at once!"
[You outta your damn mind? The one who should be flat on the ground ain't that person—it's you lot. Hurry up and pay your respects.]
"...We greet the one recognized by Lord Sangun!"
Meanwhile the Swamp Priests' loyalty was on another level. I received their full prostrations in a daze.
Standing right behind me, the Inquisitor—who, like me, could not understand the surrounding speech—ended up receiving the bows as well.
"U-um, Demon Knight. What exactly is happening?"
You tell me... I want to know too...
[...You're not angry, right?]
"...Are you kidding me, snake?"
[Aigoo, looks like you're properly mad after all. These empty-headed fools, I swear...]
Sangun scratched the top of its head with the tip of its tail. "Demon Knight? Were you speaking to me?" The Inquisitor tilted her head at me, apparently unable to hear those words.
[Just let it slide this once, just once. I'll educate 'em real thorough-like.]
How was I supposed to react in a situation like this? There had been moments when deciding the direction of my concept grew confusing, but none had conflicted as badly as this. Cold sweat poured down inside me as I spun my brain as hard as I could.
"Lord Sangun!"
Oddly enough, the one who saved me was Atart—the very person I had wanted to thrash thoroughly.
"The Jatab dared bring a demonic object into this land! Deliver rightful judgment upon them! Pass your sentence!!"
[And who the hell is this bastard.]
The snake's gaze swung that way. The flustered manner it had shown me moments earlier vanished; the golden eyes looking down on Atart were ice-cold.
"Lord Sangun!!"
[Ain't this just pure bullshit. Hoo boy. Don't even think about his own wrongs—just whines for someone else to get judged first. Look at that face.]
Since I could hear Sangun, I could roughly guess what Atart was spouting. Something along the lines of "The Jatab did wrong. Please punish them." Classic sniveling.
[Yeah. Well, it ain't exactly wrong... so. Grab 'em. Today's the day we put the Jatab kids through inspection.]
"Lord Sangun has commanded it. The Jatab tribe must prove their fidelity toward the forest."
[And tell the Bigabol kids to stand by as well. One wrong step today and the whole forest nearly went under.]
"...The Bigabol tribe likewise cannot escape judgment."
"Wait a moment—why!"
"That is Lord Sangun's will."
In any case the snake had rolled both Bigabol and Jatab up together. With that, neither tribe would be able to dodge punishment.
And if that snake was indeed reading my mood... it probably would not be a soft slap on the wrist either.
[And...]
Sangun's golden eyes swept the ground, then stopped on one place.
[That kid over there handled the guests' feelings real well and got the job done clean. Next Great Chief'll be that one.]
"...Chief of Serhang, Ekuya!"
"Yes, those who receive Sangun's will."
"Lord Sangun has chosen you as the next Great Chief. We respectfully ask that you lead this forest into a glorious age."
"...If I may be so bold, is it true that Lord Sangun has pointed to... me?"
"It is so."
"Just a moment—this is unjust!"
"Chief of Bigabol, Atart! Do you dare question Lord Sangun's will!"
Was it just my imagination, or had the Great Chief—who was supposed to be chosen through that Katina thing—just been plucked out of thin air?
"I cannot accept this!"
"How dare you!!"
[Heh, that bastard's a funny one.]
Suddenly the situation grew deliciously entertaining. No more people would die, and the snake seemed ready to settle everything.
While acting out rage, I watched Atart's downfall with the heart of someone munching popcorn. Language or not, just looking at that face made it clear his life was over.
"The seat of Great Chief must go to one who is worthy—!"
Yet the greater amusement came immediately after.
Clink-clink-clink!
"—! Mere priests!"
White chains sought to bind Atart. He barely dodged them, but what rushed in next was a massive halberd.
"Uwahaha! So you're the strongest warrior, are you?! Let's fight—Berserk versus you!"
The halberd locked all four of Atart's arms in place. It was applied with just enough force that he had to raise every arm into a guard simply to block it—and even then it would stop him.
"Who the hell are you!"
"Ups-a-daisy."
And the instant Atart committed every arm—
"Taking the kid."
A presence even I had failed to notice intercepted the child from Atart's remaining hand. Perfect coordination.
"I."
At the same time the chance returned to me as well.
"Believe I already told you."
Of course. With the child no longer in Atart's grasp, there was no reason left not to level my blade at him. The remaining hostages had already been freed, after all.
"The children's lives are your life."
"......!!"
"Eh, wait—that one's Berserk's prey—."
Slash!
Thus I closed the distance to Atart in a single breath. One sword stroke carved a trail through the air, and all three arms on his right side went flying.
"Guhahk!"
I gave Atart no time to bark orders, nor those around him any chance to react first.
Before his body could even lose its balance I stomped hard into his chest as if kicking, and the moment he slammed into the ground I drove my blade into his shoulder.
"I'll send you to Hell."
The satisfying payoff had not been far away at all.