Chapter 381: Bread and Dagger (79)
Chapter 381: Bread and Dagger (79)
Long ago, it is said that Omeros scattered drops of her blood upon the earth.
From the soil that drank that blood, all manner of creatures sprouted. Soulless husks roamed the world, hungering for sin, and all living things feared and shunned them.
Unable to stand by and watch, Arus tore out his own liver and hung it in the sky.
That became the sun.
Thus, all things wicked had no choice but to return to their natural order when faced with the sun. Even demonic beasts were no exception; most loathed being active during the day.
Furthermore, humanity came to live within the hours graced by sunlight.
This was because the sun bestowed the blessings of reason and rationality. Even those who lived unrestrained lives by night would repent for their past sins during the day.
There was only one reason why the Saintess brought up this famous myth.
"One might call it the 'Unrestrained Body' itself."
It was one of the subordinates of sin, said to have been born from the blood of Omeros in the distant past.
A monster that endlessly craved and consumed flesh to bloat its own size. The Saintess was revealing that this creature of myth had manifested once again on this continent.
In the few days I had been unconscious, the situation had grown even more dire.
I listened to the Saintess's explanation in silence.
"The Yurdina forces are trying their best to hold it back, but the speed at which it multiplies is faster than the speed at which they can excise the flesh. Now, it’s even devouring humans, not just elves."
"Sending an army will only be counterproductive."
"I know. But we have to at least look like we’re doing something to calm the public's anxiety."
It was propaganda theory.
I had forgotten for a moment, but the Saintess was a woman who had survived the political landscape of the Holy Kingdom. Naturally, she would have a broader perspective than I, who only looked at the battle itself.
The Saintess quietly took my hands as I fell into silence.
Her pale pink eyes gazed at me, creating a sorrowful atmosphere.
"Ian, stop now."
"Stop what?"
"You’re still planning to fight."
My mouth, which had been about to stammer an excuse, clamped shut again.
Instead of answering, I averted my gaze. Even though I knew exactly how that would be interpreted.
I didn't want to lie to the Saintess.
She was a woman who trusted and relied on me, and I owed her my life several times over.
Her earnest voice continued. Now, her tone was closer to a plea.
"You’ve already worked so hard. You’ve been hurt, you’ve collapsed, and yet you keep getting back up… but it’s too much now. Lately, you’ve been losing consciousness even from minor injuries, haven't you?"
Silence once more.
In other words, an affirmation.
As if she had expected as much, the Saintess spoke with an even more anxious tone.
"A body can be mended with divine artifacts, but you cannot change the fact that its foundation is crumbling. No matter how perfectly you patch a garment, in the end, it becomes nothing but rags."
"But the elves…"
"The elven residents of the village where you stayed have all been rescued."
It was the news I had hoped for.
However, a lingering sense of unease remained in a corner of my heart, and I let out a deep sigh.
So it ends like this.
I recalled the words of the man I had seen in my unconsciousness.
‘Discard what must be discarded.’
I had bluffed that I wouldn't discard anything, but it was nonsense.
It was impossible to discard nothing.
It was simply a matter of discarding something else instead.
Until now, I could just discard myself. In truth, I had been lucky, and I had often stumbled upon the right answer. But this incident was different.
I had missed the final opportunity right before my eyes.
I couldn't blame anyone. I had been unable to discard my compassion until the very end.
I hadn't wanted to kill Alex and Betty.
It was because I hadn't yet excised the weak parts of my inner self. Just as the man said, I might still be a 'novice.'
"Ian, there are many talented people on the continent besides us. We have three Masters right now. Discussions are still ongoing, but if the Empire's Sword Duke and the Saint of the Holy Kingdom arrive, the tide of battle will turn."
It was a rational choice.
Two Masters were overwhelmingly superior to me in terms of combat power. It was an open secret that the two of them didn't get along, but surely they wouldn't feud in the face of that monster.
As I showed signs of resignation, the Saintess's persuasion grew even more fervent.
Now, she went as far as to subtly hug my arm, pressing it against her chest. It seemed she thought this would make me feel better.
To be honest, it did feel good.
How frustrating.
"Ian, please, let's go back… Do you know how I feel, having to treat your injuries every single time? I don't want to see you getting hurt anymore."
It was a sincere appeal.
It was an honest side of her, unlike the usually haughty Saintess. In the end, I had no choice but to declare my surrender to her.
I let out a long breath and spoke.
"I understand."
"Really?!"
The Saintess clenched her fist as if she had succeeded, asking me again.
It was as if all the behavior she had shown until now was just an act to persuade me.
She was a fox-like woman, through and through. I looked at her with a dubious expression before confessing my lingering regrets in a low voice.
"What else can I do? It's just that I'm worried about Senior Delphine…"
"Why is that woman's name coming up?"
The surroundings seemed to freeze at those chilling words.
In the space where the warmth had fled as if in escape, only the Saintess and I remained.
Those pale pink eyes were still beautiful. They were truly comparable to jewels.
It was just that her gaze was incredibly cold.
It was a bewildering situation for me.
She was a comrade, so of course I would be worried. In truth, we shared a deeper relationship than that, but regardless, there was nothing problematic about my words.
And yet, to receive such a cold reaction.
I had no choice but to question her in bewilderment.
"Isn't it a perfectly normal reaction to worry about a comrade?"
"But it felt somewhat… affectionate."
Her intuition was like a ghost's.
I almost broke into a cold sweat at her extraordinary perceptiveness, but I wasn't entirely without means to respond.
I had been tormented by the nagging of women far too much lately.
I decided to strike at her weakness as I had planned.
"Don't drive me into a corner with groundless talk… By that logic, are you a sexual harasser, Saintess?"
"Wh-What? What did you say…? Se-Sexual harasser?!"
The Saintess, perhaps having a guilty conscience, immediately jumped back and distanced herself from me.
Then, she began to snap back at me like a growling kitten.
"On what grounds! You're the sexual harasser! Have you forgotten how many times you've fumbled with my body until now?!"
"But the sight I saw as soon as I opened my eyes was…"
"I didn't touch you!"
I stared at the Saintess with my arms crossed, as if waiting to hear her excuse.
Before I knew it, tears were welling up in her eyes.
She looked as though she had her own unfair side of the story.
"That brat Elsie was acting so smug and bragging about it… so, I just wondered how great it actually was… Is it so wrong to be curious?!"
"Well, I suppose I've always been curious about your body too, Saintess."
"Again, again with the sexual harassment! You, I'm going to haul you before a religious inquisition one day!"
It was a nostalgic conversation.
This kind of peace wasn't bad.
Discarding what must be discarded, and reaching out only to those I could save.
If I did that, perhaps I would save the world one day.
Nevertheless, my inner thoughts remained unchanged.
I would have to slip away in secret.
She said two Masters were coming, but I had no information on the Sword Duke or the Saint. Furthermore, in the memories of the future I had seen, the flesh monster possessed strength beyond imagination.
At the very least, it was enough for one Master to attempt mutual destruction.
I couldn't afford to lose one of the only three Masters here. As I had realized while staying in the elf village, the Dark Cult's plans had been ongoing for hundreds of years.
Wasting precious combat power while their conspiracy was being revealed was a bad move.
The only thing weighing on my mind was the promise I made to the Saintess.
I always felt sorry toward her.
This must be how a drunken husband feels when looking at his battered wife.
Leaving behind the Saintess, who was still talking back to me, my eyes turned toward the desk located at the head of the bed.
As my gaze moved, the Saintess did not hide her curiosity.
"…? Is there something there?"
"No, nothing."
I had nothing to give her but a bitter smile.
As expected, the Saintess couldn't see it.
This blood-stained letter.
My eyes sank even deeper.
The day I went to find Senior Delphine.
The woman had greeted me with an exceptionally weary expression. Despite her pale complexion, Senior Delphine was trying her hardest.
Mainly to avoid causing me worry.
"What is it?"
The scent of expensive wine hit my brain like steam. Looking back, I was always a child.
Mainly in the sense that I made impulsive decisions.
In the end, I had no choice but to help Senior Delphine.
The day I met her for the first time after spending our first night together.
"Will you trust me just once?"
And then, I stood before the monster.
Holding a sword and a hand axe.
The boiling flesh was before me.
After missing the final opportunity, the second battle.
This time, it would truly be the last.