Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Tongue, Teeth, and Jaw (5)
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A creaky window let in a gentle breeze, through which cozy sunlight poured into a humble home.
Freshly boiled broccoli potato stew, crusty oat bread, boiled eggs sprinkled with roasted salt, and even wild strawberry jam. A rare feast was laid out on the table, tempting even those who had just eaten to dig in again. The entire house was filled with a savory, sweetly nutty aroma.
But Duncan couldn't bring himself to touch the food, despite going hungry all night. He just kept dropping anxious glances to the floor, his hands trembling.
Kadim tore into a piece of oat bread soaked in stew and shot him a flat look.
"Eat, Duncan. The food's getting cold."
"……."
"Is it because of that dead mage?"
Duncan squeezed his eyes shut.
The face of the mage who had burned to death lingered vividly before his eyes, an indelible afterimage.
He had seen plenty of gruesome sights trailing after the barbarian, but this time was different. This death had been wrought by no one but his own hand. His palm still vividly recalled the sensation of the dagger piercing the mage's gut.
In the first place, venturing into the fog-shrouded forest at dawn had been a mistake. He should have hidden like a dead rat and just waited for the barbarian to return... There had been no need for him to step up... The barbarian would have handled it all anyway... If he had, he might not have become a murderer...
Kadim spoke casually to Duncan, lost in endless self-recrimination.
"You didn't kill that mage."
"……!"
Duncan gave him a puzzled look. Kadim peeled a boiled egg and chewed it whole before continuing.
"The cause of death was my axe splitting his skull. Not a burning dagger in his gut. So don't beat yourself up too much."
"B-but, even if we'd left him like that, he would've died anyway, right? I inflicted the mortal wound, so isn't it basically the same as me killing him?"
"True. Can't say that's wrong."
Duncan's face, which had brightened faintly, crumpled right back into a mess. But Kadim wasn't done.
"However, those who don't fight get nothing."
"……."
"A bird that doesn't flap its wings falls to the earth. A fish that doesn't swim gets swept away by the current. A farmer who doesn't catch pests reaps a meager harvest, and a hunter who spares his prey suffers the cries of his starving young. Even some damn god won't let his followers into paradise unless they fight and wound themselves for him."
"……."
"Thus, under the harsh laws of the wild plains, the struggles of all living beings to claim their rightful share are sacred. If it was an unavoidable fight, don't feel guilt for your actions. Even if you spilled enemy blood in the process."
"……B-but, sir, what did I gain by killing that mage? Wasn't it an unnecessary fight, just pointless bloodshed?"
"No. Thanks to that, you gained something truly precious."
Kadim nodded toward the corner room where a woman tended to her husband.
"You saved that woman's life and her husband's."
A clear light flickered in the merchant's previously clouded eyes.
"Even without you, I would've thrown my axe at the mage. But before dying, he would've swung his magic and taken the woman or her husband. By killing that vermin, you saved two innocents."
"……D-did I really do that? Was it truly because I stepped up?"
"Yes. Impossible without you. You've proven your worth, so I'll keep entrusting you with that dagger. Today, you can proudly take credit for what you did, Duncan."
Duncan's eyes now sparkled like fish scales. It was the first time this stingy barbarian had praised him so generously. The grim hardships of the past now seemed painted in vibrant colors. The joy rivaled the day he married his wife and held their firstborn son.
But... that didn't mean the yoke binding his conscience vanished completely.
"……I don't know, sir. I'm thrilled, but I can't feel happy. I... I guess I can never be like you, sir. Just stabbing one person weighs so heavy on my heart... How do you carry so much and still be fine, sir?"
A heavy silence settled in.
Kadim stared idly at the dust motes dancing in the sunlight. He gripped Mosquito and lightly pressed his thumb to the blade. The dulled sensation barely pricking his skin. He'd need to sharpen it before the next hunt. He spoke lowly.
"Blades dull with use. So do hearts. Use them enough, and they dull. After stabbing and slashing countless lives, the weight of deciding how to kill a foe eventually matches how to slice bread."
"……."
"Of course, most people end up scarred beyond repair when their heart dulls. Or they shatter before it even happens. But that's got nothing to do with me. Because......"
I'm Atala's Great Warrior – no, that's not it. All this slaughter was done by that brutal barbarian warrior, Kadim.
"……."
"……S-sir?"
Kadim swallowed the words rising in his throat. His heart pounded fiercely. A chill slithered down his spine, red veins bursting in his whites.
A defense mechanism surging unbidden from forgotten depths. Even after regaining composure, the aftershocks lingered. He pressed his temples with thumb and middle finger. Right, damn it, he'd drunk a lot of blood yesterday.
"S-sir? What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"……I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."
"……."
"Need some air. Eat while you wait."
The barbarian's form shot out the door in an instant. The wooden door shook with creaks that gradually lessened, his massive back shrinking in the narrowing gap until it vanished. Even after the door fully closed, Duncan's gaze lingered there.
Like a dog waiting for its master, he stared at the shut door for ages. When the barbarian didn't return, he finally gathered some oat bread and boiled eggs to eat.
The Magic Tower's top floor, amid swirling radiance and drifting clouds.
Today, only the tower's lord sat there, clad in a white hood.
The Magic Tower Lord carefully placed his hand on the translucent crystal orb. The powerful magic tool 'Callisto's Eye,' capable of surveying the world from his seat, gleamed brilliantly.
Woooong—
This time, he focused on the Golden Highway, overrun by demons.
It wasn't just to check on the dispatched relief forces. He'd assumed other cities would handle the demon outbreak before, but a bad feeling nagged him. No harm in checking personally for any major threat that could reach the Magic Tower.
The view wasn't as blurry as when peering into the underground fortress near Remtanna. The Golden Highway wasn't far from Vesta, so the image reproduced with crystal clarity.
Relief forces huddled behind defensive lines, support troops scouring for demon corpses here and there, and... low- and mid-tier demons spreading demonic energy and slaughtering indiscriminately.
"……."
After a rough inspection, the Magic Tower Lord let out a wry chuckle.
Unnecessary worry. Numerous, but those demons posed no threat. Galen would send relief forces diligently, and they'd suppress it naturally. If anything, it was good news for the tower—plenty of demon parts for magic stones.
Gate 15, then 14, 13, 12... Same everywhere. The Disaster Council chairwoman had indeed overreacted. He pondered recalling the support troops, leaving only corpse retrievers, when...
That thought flipped upon reaching the forest between Gates 6 and 7.
"……!"
Monstrously mangled and burned magical beasts and soldiers, mingled with mages' corpses.
One of the dispatched relief forces.
They hadn't fallen to demons or beasts. Most bodies were too damaged to identify easily, but the intact ones bore clear blade wounds.
Suddenly, Ymir Demil's death came to mind.
He who commanded monster armies and even took an ogre's body had been torn apart helplessly by someone. The image had been hazy, but the sinister traces burned clear in memory. Too clean for demons, too brutal for humans.
Similar marks on these bodies.
"……."
If the culprit was the same, he couldn't ignore it. Killing mages every encounter suggested deep enmity toward them. The lord swept the orb urgently, seeking the perpetrator to dispatch trackers...
His hand halted abruptly.
Then moved slowly in the opposite direction.
A creepy chill crawled up his spine. Suddenly, a more ominous threat than the assailant. His hand quickened over the orb. Past Gate 7 to 8, near 9, tracing the source...
A blue sigil intruding on the image, staring at him. And faint ticking of a clock.
Click, click...
Crack—
A crack split 'Callisto's Eye.'
The Magic Tower Lord snapped back from the mental projection like waking from a dream.
"……Damn it all."
Deep wrinkles furrowed under the hood. Dry fingers anxiously tapped the fractured orb. After long deliberation, he murmured into another orb linked to his direct staff room.
"Convene the Elder Council immediately. Contact elders outside the tower separately, and summon all Battle Mages rank Conjuror and above to the Lantern Hall."
He paused, then ended firmly.
"A 'high demon' has appeared on the Golden Highway."
Kadim and Duncan left Kybon and resumed their journey.
"Thank you, mercenaries. Thanks to you, I came to my senses and got my husband back from the demons. It's not much, but please use this for your travels..."
Before departing, the woman offered a small coin pouch with thanks. Kadim declined. Saving her husband was solely due to her unyielding resolve. He wouldn't take pay for what he hadn't done.
Besides, her fight wasn't over. Her husband had lost an arm and bore demon enchantment aftereffects—he'd never be the same.
Whether she'd protect what she'd reclaimed and fight on, or abandon it all in flight or despair—that choice remained hers.
Back on the Golden Highway. Kadim found no real gains crossing Gates 7 and 8. Relief forces had cleared low demons thoroughly; even living beasts were scarce. Plenty of bloodstains and debris littered the road, though.
"Probably because Gate 9 is the approach to Galenta, sir. Losing it would be like handing over the front yard, so the Disaster Council must've gone all out on the demons here."
Duncan explained with subtle relief. Kadim's face hardened in disappointment.
He'd gotten one vial of greater demon blood, but from an enchanter type—severely limited use. He needed to stockpile as much as possible before new ruins, then select the best.
At least he'd found a pureblood demon midway. Legs grotesquely swollen with muscle, one horn on its temple.
Creeeak—crunch!
- Kyaaaak! Kyaaaak!! M-my leg...
Thud—crack!
Fast but predictable movements made it easy prey. He turned its strength against it, severing legs and throat. As he drained the artery, Kadim pondered.
Why were mages collecting demon corpses? They'd overreacted to just bloodletting, so not for burning. They had some use...
Clink.
Kadim realized quickly.
Like before, he'd sensed diluted demonic energy around those mages. And in his pouch were fragments from the mage's heart—the source, a magic stone.
'Demon parts must be ingredients for these 'magic stones.' That explains everything. Elga's hounds would raise hell if they knew.'
Not welcome news if true. Mages might claim useful demons first. Competing over corpses now? Absurd.
Stab, whoosh!
Once filled, Duncan torched the body without orders. Kadim nodded approval. Good to handle remains properly—lingering beasts might turn feral eating demon flesh.
That thought shifted seconds later.
A sudden sharp prick at his nape, like a needle.
"……!"
Pain synesthetized into vision; darkness blinded him utterly.
Kadim's eyes snapped open blue amid the blackout. Muscles spasmed reflexively. Yet a thrilled smile curled his lips.
"Leave the body, Duncan. We're moving now."
"Y-yes?"
Kadim bolted without explanation. Duncan hurried cluelessly after. Only after catching up did he gasp out a question.
"Huff, huff—what's going on, sir? Why the sudden rush?"
Kadim grinned fiercely, pointing beyond the next gate.
"A damn fine blood sack just showed up over there."