Chapter 15
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Demon Allergy
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Demon Allergy
After a short while, the laborers who had been hiding here and there returned.
Ben ordered the mercenaries and laborers to dig a deep pit.
At Ben's command, the mercenaries set down the bloody things dangling from their bodies and began to dig.
I left the area and went behind the village. There, surrounded by other large trees, was one that was uniquely small.
[Doesn't it feel a bit like me? One day, just like the trees next to it, I'll grow big, and so will this tree!]
It was a place the child had loved.
I dug a hole beneath it. The smell of damp earth and a musty odor filled the air.
My hands ached so much that it took quite some time, even for a small pit.
After digging deep enough so that the rain wouldn't wash it out, I brought the child's body and placed it in the hole. I forced the child's stiff eyelids shut, then took out the book I had kept in my armor's pocket. The center of the book was deeply gouged.
I clicked my tongue and pulled out some silver coins from my pocket. I placed the book in the child's hand and put a handful of silver coins on top of it.
“For the road.”
I knew it was a useless gesture, but I felt like it would ease my own mind.
I straightened the child's crooked neck, climbed out, and covered him with earth.
When I finished and returned to where I'd been, they had already dug a large pit, thrown all the bodies in, and set it on fire.
The heat of the roaring flames and the thick, roasting smell made me want to vomit.
‘The next time I come, there won't even be a trace of the village left.’
The Order would surely turn the village and the surrounding area into a sea of fire under the pretext of purification. It was a good thing I buried him deep.
Ben spotted me and approached.
“For now, we plan to head back to Castle Caedis. Castle Volt is more than a day and a half away.”
Ben said, his face pale, likely due to the wound on his shoulder. I had nothing much to say, so I just nodded. Ben gave a slight smile and waved his hand.
“You're not in great shape yourself, so ride with us in the carriage. There's plenty of room now.”
“What?”
The unexpected offer made me cough involuntarily.
“It'll be hard for you to walk in your condition, won't it?”
“That's true. But…”
“Ah, don't worry about the young lady. Lady Vivian may be young, but she's very thoughtful. She's not the type to get angry about her savior riding in the same carriage. She's different from other nobles.”
Ben emphasized the words ‘other nobles.’ How different could she be? Still, my body felt heavy, and the offer was tempting.
Considering the way we came, I'd have to run for nearly half a day, and in my current state, I didn't have the confidence for it.
‘The young lady might not even wake up by the time we reach the castle... and if there's a problem, he'll be the one to take the blame.’
I didn't know Ben well, but he didn't seem like the type to run from trouble.
“Well then... alright. Let's do that.”
“Good choice. We'll be leaving soon, so go on and get in first. I'll go check on a few things.”
Ben pointed to the carriage parked nearby and headed toward the mercenaries. They were struggling to calm the spooked horses.
Annoyed by a horse acting up, one of the mercenaries smacked its rump with the shaft of his spear. The horse responded with a swift kick, sending the mercenary flying backward, tumbling over and over. It was a good thing he was wearing so much armor he looked puffy.
The mercenary, furious, cursed loudly, but it must have hurt quite a bit because he didn't go near the horse again.
The other mercenaries pointed at him and roared with laughter.
I watched him for a moment, then clicked my tongue and headed for the carriage.
After opening the carriage door, I had to hold my breath for a moment.
She was stunningly beautiful even from a distance, but seeing her up close, her beauty was breathtaking. Sleeping soundly, oblivious to the world, the young lady was unrealistically beautiful.
Looking at the defenseless, sleeping lady, my hands started to itch for no reason.
‘Still sleeping?’
If I gave her a flick on the forehead right now, would anyone know? I considered it for a moment before shaking my head and sitting down opposite her.
It would be more satisfying and less messy to take out my frustration on that weasel-like guy later.
Only after sitting down did I realize the woman in light armor was also there, next to the young lady.
The carriage was filled with the scent of fresh fruit and the distinct perfume of the nobility. The fragrance was so strong it made my head feel a little fuzzy.
I crossed my arms, closed my eyes, and reviewed last night's battle.
Combat was like studying. A life-or-death battle was a test that showed everything you'd accumulated.
If you didn't prepare, you wouldn't do well on the test. And after the test was over, you had to review to pass the next one.
Neglecting either could lead to failing the test. And this was a test you only got one chance to fail.
‘Thinking back, I was lucky.’
If I had faced the demon alone, I couldn't have won. But the village was small, so the demon hadn't absorbed much blood, and it was a huge help that Ben had drained its strength to the limit.
‘If I face a demon next time...’
- Ah... Aah!! Aaaaaah!!! Can't you hear me!!
‘Shit! That scared me! What the hell?!’
Startled by the voice that suddenly echoed in my head, I shuddered. I wondered if I was going crazy, so I tapped my head with my fist. The pain told me I was probably still fine.
- F... Finally! Dammit! What is this... n-no, already?! W... aah...
With that last cry, the voice disappeared again.
‘...I must be really tired.’
Yeah, after all that shit, it's no wonder I'm hearing things. I'd lost so much blood that my mind was still hazy.
Just then, Ben entered the carriage. Looking utterly exhausted, he sat down next to me and knocked on the carriage wall.
“M... Move out!!”
The weasel's booming voice rang out, and the carriage began to move slowly. I looked out the window and saw the weasel mounted on a horse in an odd posture, trembling.
‘Why is he up there?’
The weasel sat atop the horse with terrible form, wearing a serious expression as if he were some kind of soldier. He was even holding a spear that must have belonged to one of them.
“Ah, I heard you two are like blood brothers?”
Ben's words made the situation roughly clear.
Just then, I made eye contact with the weasel through the window. Despite barely hanging onto the horse, he gave me an Imperial salute.
‘...He's got potential.’
I'd recognized it when he was lying among the zombies, but this was a guy who could survive even if you dropped him in the northern part of the Empire.
After that, Ben started a conversation in a low voice, and I passed the time by responding to him.
Surprisingly, the conversation flowed well.
He didn't act all high and mighty for a knight, and he knew all sorts of interesting stories.
It started with talk about swords and moved on to various incidents that had happened in different castles. We were deep in conversation when...
“Mmm…”
The young lady stirred as if she were about to wake up.
At that, I instinctively pressed myself into the corner. Anyone who's lived in the medieval era would have a phobia of nobles. Every single noble I had met so far was a son of a bitch. A few of my scars were from them.
“Haha, don't worry. I told you, Lady Vivian is different from other nobles. She's more likely to thank you than to say anything else…”
Noticing my tension, Ben shook his head lightly, trying to reassure me.
Just then, the young lady's eyes flew open.
Her deep blue eyes, like the ocean itself, stared directly at me. Those beautiful eyes widened.
“Aaaaaah!!”
And a long scream erupted from the young lady's red lips.
“Kieeeek! Is it a demon?! Tell me, sir!”
As if in response, the weasel's scream followed from outside the carriage.
***
“I'm so sorry. I just woke up and saw a stranger, so I…”
After hearing the full story from Ben, the young lady apologized, her face full of remorse.
Ben told her a slightly altered version of the truth, saying I had been a great help in catching the demon. He explained that I had acted as a human shield, which allowed him to finish the demon off.
‘I have a lot of scars on my face, but still, screaming at the sight of someone's face is...’
I felt awkward and scratched my cheek. I'm actually pretty confident in my looks, so having someone scream at my face didn't feel great.
“It's nothing. I'm fine.”
I had given my face a quick wash in the rainwater, but there were still traces of blood here and there. A scarred face caked with blood—I could understand the young lady's reaction.
“N-No! Aron is very... um... dependable.”
After frowning in thought for a moment, the young lady clapped her hands together and laughed awkwardly.
‘She could have just said I was handsome.’
When I smiled back, the corners of the young lady's mouth stiffened.
She quickly returned to a smiling face, but I had already seen it freeze.
“Then the villagers…”
“They were burned along with the dead soldiers and mercenaries.”
Ben answered her question firmly.
At that, the young lady placed her right hand on her head and bowed. It was the way of prayer for the Sun Order.
She prayed for a long while after that, and a long silence fell over the carriage.
I'm not sure how much time passed.
“Ugh... mmm…”
The woman in light armor groaned.
“Ah, Kayla. Are you alright?”
“My... lady?”
“Yes. It's me.”
The young lady took the armored woman's shoulder. The woman's eyes fluttered open, and she looked around.
Then her eyes met mine.
“Gah! A... A demon!! It's a demon!! My lady, get back!”
Without warning, she drew the sword at her hip and pointed it at me.
The familiar development made me sigh.
‘It's because of the blood on my face.’
I kept muttering to myself. I am objectively handsome. I was sure of it. This reaction was definitely because I hadn't properly wiped the blood from my face.
“Kayla! Stop it! This man may look scary and vicious, but he is not a demon!”
“B-But... how can that be…”
“I know! He's scary enough to haunt your dreams! But you must not judge a person by their appearance! Lower your sword!”
The young lady shouted, her eyes blazing.
‘This is too much, those bastards.’
I was dumbfounded by the conversation that was clearly meant to mess with me.
‘Still, I'm pretty good-looking, aren't I?’
I might have a lot of scars on my face, but they were proof of a proud, manly man. They were like medals that would earn me respect anywhere I went.
“...A demon?!! Aaaah, a demon!! A... a demon!”
Just then, the weasel let out a bizarre scream and yanked hard on the reins. The horse turned and bolted in the opposite direction.
The weasel fled into the distance in an instant, and his shout of "demon" threw the entire group into chaos.
Mercenaries covered their eyes with their hands and cried out to the gods, while the porters hid under the carts.
It seemed the demon had left them with some serious PTSD.
And it took quite some time to calm everyone down.
“I... I'm sorry.”
The armored woman, her face bright red, bowed her head deeply. The young lady beside her was just as flushed.
“It's fine. Anyone can mistake a person for a demon.”
I could let it go with the armored woman, but having the young lady apologize was rather awkward.
I'd dealt with a double-digit number of nobles in my time, but this was the first time one had ever apologized to me. Those noble bastards, with their "divinely chosen, noble bloodlines," never bowed their heads, even when they were in the wrong.
Of course, it wasn't like anyone ever pointed out their faults in the first place.
“Really, it's fine.”
Fundamentally, a man with solid faith in himself doesn't get swayed by the words of others.
‘I'm sure of it. I'm a handsome man.’
As I gave a confident smile, my eyes met the young lady's, who happened to be looking at me.
*Hiccup!*
The young lady's shoulders trembled slightly as she hiccuped.
***
We reached Castle Caedis without any further trouble.
As soon as we returned, the outer wall was in an uproar. It was only natural, given that the carriage bearing the Pulpuchu family crest had returned covered in blood.
The carriage entered the inner castle under the escort of the Outer Wall Guard, while I was dragged around to give various reports.
Starting with Magistrate William, I went to the Guard Captain and the Outer Wall Guard Commander, repeating the same story to each of them. By the end, the words just flowed out of my mouth automatically.
To make matters worse, it was my squad's turn for the day shift, and that ignorant Outer Wall Guard Commander tried to send me to the gate.
Just then, a member of the inner castle guard arrived and informed me that I had been granted a four-day leave. In this medieval world with no labor laws, a four-day leave was an enormous reward.
It was a reward so great it would go down in the legends of the Caedis Outer Wall Guard.
With that, I taunted Berman, who was getting ready for duty with me, and quickly headed for the inn. The hard bed felt soft.
I fell asleep as if I'd passed out.
Two days had passed since then, and I...
“What the, fuck?”
I was staring into a mirror I'd borrowed from Kel.
The image in the mirror was so unbelievable that I rubbed my eyes several times and even smacked myself in the head to see if I was dreaming, but sadly, nothing changed.
‘What is this.’
The skin near my heart was cracked open like wood, an unnatural, ominous black. And in the center was a yellow eye, so small it looked like a gem.
Given its location, this hideous thing was clearly a Devil's Handprint.
The first day after arriving, I just slept. I discovered this on the second day. And now, on the third day, I was still just staring at the mirror, unable to believe it.
- *Pant... pant...* C... Can you hear me now?
A very faint voice whispered to me.
‘...I'm fucked.’
The Devil's Handprint and the voice I was hearing.
In the end, I had no choice but to admit there was a demon inside my body.
‘When? Was it because I was too lazy to spit it out and just ate it?’
It wasn't known how one took in a demon.
All that was known was that those who received a demon had a Devil's Handprint on their chest, and if you met someone with one, you were to cut off their head immediately without a word and burn the body.
In that sense, I basically had a death sentence tattooed on my left chest. What's more, since bringing it to the Order would fetch a huge reward, this hideous death sentence also functioned as a winning lottery ticket.
‘Can't I get this off?’
I scratched at the Devil's Handprint with my fingernail, but it didn't budge. My nail felt like it was about to break. I then drew my sword and scraped at it, but that only chipped the blade.
I went downstairs, soaked myself in hot water, and tried again, but it still didn't move.
- Ahhh... that feels good.
Its reaction only pissed me off more.
‘What are you.’
- What do you think.
From the start, the thing had a strangely grating tone.
‘A demon, I guess.’
- The ignorant call us that.
‘Are you saying you're not a demon?’
- Mmm... I don't think we're at a point in our relationship to discuss such things.
We'd only exchanged a few words, but its sullen tone was already giving me a headache.
‘Judging by the yellow eye, it has to be the one that was in that skinny guy's left arm... The bastards from the Order could at least warn people not to eat demons. All they think about is killing, not prevention, the ignorant fools. With problems like this, prevention is always more important than dealing with the aftermath.’
I tried to stay calm, but it was no use. Since coming to this world, I had considered every possible way to die, but being burned at the stake for hosting a demon wasn't one of them.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
- Are you that happy?
‘Fuck off.’
- Others are desperate to receive me, yet your reaction is strange. Complaining with a treasure right in front of you—is this what they call being a fool?
‘Then why don't you go to one of those people who want you? I can pick a few out for you. If you go to the 7th District, they'll be lining up.’
- Sorry, but I used up all the power I'd gathered to heal you. It's a struggle just to speak like this. It'll take some time to regain my strength.
‘Time? How long?’
- Not long. About a hundred years.
I got so angry I punched myself in the chest without thinking, then let out a silent scream as a jolt of pain shot through my hand.
‘Isn't there a faster way to get you out? I've got a demon allergy, you see. I'm so itchy and on the verge of tears right now, I could just die.’
- A... Allergy? I don't know what that is, but if you dislike it that much, there is a way. You just need to help me a bit.
‘If there was a way, you should have said so from the start. What is it?’
- Just feed me the blood of a thousand humans. Simple and easy.
‘...Are you insane?’
The way it said it so casually, as if asking me to buy it some stew, made me furious.
- I've been called by many names, but that wasn't one of them.
‘Anything else?’
- Nope.
The firm answer left me speechless for a moment.
‘...I'm fucked.’
- Why do you hate it so much?
I scratched my head irritably at the voice, which sounded genuinely curious.
‘You're asking why I hate having a demon near my heart?’
There were over a hundred reasons why, I didn't even know where to begin.
The Order, knights, the Imperial army, hunters... If I were found out, they would all surely become my most devoted stalker fans. None of them were to be taken lightly.
- I can give you power.
‘Bullshit... What power. I don't need that kind of horrifying power.’
Seeing how the skinny guy almost killed a knight with just his left arm consumed, it was certainly a powerful force. But the form that power took was so bizarre that using it would clearly be the end of my life.
- Ah, so that's the problem. It only manifested in that form because of the guy's vessel. If you wish, I can give it to you in other ways.
‘I don't need power or anything else. Just get out. I hate demons. I'm a demon-hater who thinks all demons should have their heads ripped off and die.’
I grabbed the sword I'd set aside again. I have to scrape this thing off somehow...,
I scraped at it furiously with the sword and even tried stabbing it with the tip, but it only dulled the blade and didn't move at all.
It was then.
- Come to think of it, those who wield steel like this sort of thing.
I heard a voice tinged with laughter.
Simultaneously with its mutter, a blue flame erupted from the sword. The blazing blue flame filled the room with a bright, azure light.
That flame was Aura—the sword of humanity that exists only to destroy evil and uphold justice, the noble proof of a knight.
‘A demon... using Aura?’
The sudden appearance of Aura sent my mind into a state of incomparable confusion. This evidence contradicted everything I knew, and my thoughts couldn't keep up.
- *Heeek... heeek...* D... Did... you see that! Pr...oof of my power. *Heeek...*
I heard a gasping sound, and then the blue flame vanished in an instant, as if it had never been there.
It lasted for such a short time, probably not even two seconds.
- *Heeek... Hwooo... Heeek... Guuuh...*
The sound of rough, pained breathing continued for a moment, and then the voice disappeared.
“...Premature?”
Looking down at the sword, which had returned to being a mere piece of metal, I muttered unconsciously.