Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: No Demon for the Old (3)
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A thickly glowing crimson needle pierced into his steel-hard forearm. The needle's vital energy flowed swiftly into his body, wriggling across his skin like a living thing before forming a pattern like the wings of a blade.
"It's done... Now, if you just focus your mind, you should be able to draw out that demon's power. The effect won't last long, and you'll still need to watch out for the post-use frenzy, but..."
"Good work. Thanks."
Kadim gave a short nod. The shaman let out a deep breath. Her expression was far more natural and relieved now, as if she'd finally shed a burden she'd carried for ages. A flicker of lingering doubt and curiosity burned in her shrunken eyes like embers.
"The shaman you met before me... was it Beshaka?"
"That's right."
"Heh heh... Lucky for her. She was one who followed Blind-Eye Lady with utter devotion. Seeing her will reach you like this, she'd have no regrets even if she'd died after a lifetime of solitude and waiting."
The shaman's eyes delved into the thick layers of time, glimpsing echoes of the past. Likely the faces of those who'd chosen exile in this ruin alongside her.
Kadim asked in a voice heavy with gravity.
"Do you regret following Cyril's will?"
The shaman replied with a light, wry smile.
"Me? Heh heh heh... Is that even a question? Of course not!"
"..."
"I figured it'd be about ten years of waiting, but it took hundreds! And after hearing what Blind-Eye Lady said, I imagined you'd be all dignified and wise, but Atala's Great Warrior turns out to be this weirdo! Can't wait to see how the other shamans react when they meet you!"
"..."
"If any of them are still alive, that is, heh heh heh..."
A bitter self-mockery laced the end of her words. A dark shadow fell over Kadim's face. But the shaman noticed and drew a firm line.
"But Great Warrior, don't blame yourself. This was our choice, and bearing the pain and consequences is solely ours. It's laughable for someone who walked into the wilderness of their own accord to curse the burning thirst or scorching sun."
"..."
"Still, as one who crossed these ages of endurance to greet you, may I ask just one favor?"
Kadim gestured for her to speak. Her cracked lips parted solemnly, like delivering an oracle.
"The mission Father Wilderness entrusted to you is not salvation, but struggle. Not just you—all Great Warriors are born to uproot the era's great evils, not merely save the suffering."
"..."
"But... if you have the leeway, please spare a glance now and then for even the trampled weeds. This world has giants like you who stand unmoved amid storms, but far more are the weeds that die forever under a single careless step."
"..."
"No one but a god can save the whole world. But anyone can extend a helping hand to one nearby. Yet in this world, few ever did what anyone could. At least, not when I was out there..."
"..."
"But if you could become someone who tends even to trampled weeds—if Atala's Great Warrior, whom the wilderness shamans waited so long for, became that sort of person... then this old body, soon to scatter as wilderness dust, might find some peace."
Kadim's eyes twitched faintly. Coincidentally, the shaman's plea aligned with the creed he'd adopted to avoid becoming a humanity-lost fiend.
To survive, he wouldn't hesitate to wade blood-soaked mires and drink filth. But if life wasn't at stake, he'd hand his crust of bread to the hungrier one.
Yet the shaman urged one step further: finding bread even when none was at hand to give the starving. Amid battling vile demons, eliminating threats without loose ends, and fending off repeated bouts of frenzy—it wouldn't be easy.
Kadim asked if she wanted him to swear on Atala's name. She shook her head stubbornly, like an old mule.
"Don't swear on the noble War God's name. Above all, a Great Warrior's duty is to eradicate evil and fight. This is just a deeply personal request—don't feel bound by it."
After long swimming in seas of thought, Kadim finally nodded. It was proper respect for one who'd endured exile and struggle to fulfill her purpose. He couldn't always comply, but when he could, he would.
"What is your name?"
"..."
"Even if your flesh scatters to dust, I won't forget your name or your request."
A warm joy settled on her withered face. A smile of relief, knowing she'd safely reached life's end. The shaman carefully drew forth a name long abandoned in memory's warehouse after centuries.
"My name is Ketura."
"..."
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Great Warrior. I pray only that we meet again, as far in the future as possible, in a place where war and revelry never cease."
Kriiiiiing...
The scene peeled away like old wallpaper. The old shaman's form folded up with it and vanished. When he came to, the cramped room was gone, replaced by a dry hillock stirred by a gentle breeze. As if he'd dreamed a fleeting day away.
But the vivid tattoo on his forearm proved it no dream.
Kadim glanced between the tattoo and the now-dull stone tablet. Then he turned his eyes eastward and hurried on. He'd already wasted too much time. Now it was time to head there, to the east, where demonic energy bored in relentlessly like iron craving flesh—its source.
But after a few dozen steps, Kadim's pace suddenly slowed.
"..."
Ketura's request gripped his ankles, refusing to let him leave, alongside a face flashing in his mind.
His steps grew heavy. His stride shortened. Then he stopped entirely and turned back the way he'd come. He started with a light jog, then suddenly kicked into a sprint. Wind whipped his skin to shreds as the distant village rushed back into view.
- Keh heh heh, keh heeeee!
- Keh heh heh heh hek!
Returning to the house he'd left, he saw hobgoblins pounding the dented door with spears and blades. Kadim didn't slow, accelerating as he hurled his axe.
Splaaaaat, craaaack cruuunch!!
- Kyaek!!
- Kehek!!
The whirling metal disc pulverized skulls and necks horizontally. Hobgoblins crumpled, crushed by force, brains and blood gushing from mangled stumps. The survivors fell to Mosquito's follow-up slashes, joining the dead.
Bam!
Kadim shouldered the door open and entered. In the corner, an old woman huddled like a mouse, ears plugged. He tapped her head; she convulsed, emitting death-rattle gasps.
"Ueeeek, uheeeuk... Keluk, keluk, uheuh, uheuhk..."
After a dozen taps, she finally raised her tear- and snot-streaked face. Spotting the barbarian, her eyes sparkled clear.
"...Eh, eeeh, ah, aba?"
"..."
Kadim rubbed his forehead with a sigh.
"Sorry I'm late. Instead, today we'll do what you want. Anywhere you wanna go?"
*
The old woman wanted to play in a nearby field.
After much searching, Kadim found a field free of corpses and monsters. Of course, her frail joints still made running impossible.
Instead, she picked wildflowers for clumsy rings and crowns, dug dirt with bare hands for mud balls, and played house. Kadim let her crown him with a ragweed wreath without complaint. He scowled and swatted her away only when she tried feeding him a real mud ball.
To soothe her ensuing wails, he broke nearby trees to build a crude hut. She seemed to love the shoddy thing more than her real home, caressing walls and roof endlessly, planning decorations. Amid the overcast sky, her smile shone bright all day.
At dusk, they lit a bonfire in the field. Thick clouds like a heavy blanket hid the moon entirely; stars gave faint light. The rising flames glowed especially vivid and warm against the dark ground.
A perfect beacon, yet no interlopers came. Local monsters had all met the axe's dew by evening.
Kadim set a pot from his pack over the fire, added water, crumbled rations, and salt for a simple soup.
Bubble, bubble, bubble...
Honestly, it was tasteless slop—even Kadim spat after a sip. But the old woman devoured it like a delicacy. She begged for seconds, then thirds; it was a mystery where it all went in her tiny frame.
Soon night deepened darkly. He dragged the whining old woman—who wanted to sleep in the hut—back home. Once there, she slept soundly as if her stubbornness never happened. No wonder; an elderly body unused to such play all day had to be exhausted.
Kadim scavenged furniture from other ruins to build a barricade around her house. Better than just a broken doorframe. It'd catch rescuers' eyes too.
Finally, he left a dagger picked up on the road by her side. Worst case had to be considered. If unavoidable peril came, she'd have to fight for survival herself.
Business done. Time to really leave.
But as his foot crossed the threshold, a voice came from behind.
"...Are you going?"
"..."
"Where to?"
Kadim faced the tousle-haired old woman, woken from sleep. His gruff voice seeped into the night's darkness.
"...To kill the demon that made you like this."
"..."
"Keep that dagger close. It'll guard you in my stead while I'm gone."
The old woman whined no more.
She clutched the dagger like treasure and bowed her head politely.
"Thank you, mister..."
Kadim's eyes twitched.
For a brief instant, it felt like the demon's curse had peeled away.
Her wrinkles and age spots vanished, revealing plump pink cheeks. Ashen hair turned glossy brown; her cloudy irises regained their true hue. In the pitch-black silence without even faint light, Kadim glimpsed a young girl's smile—suppressing sobs, forcing up her lips with effort.
The vision didn't last. Her face reverted to the old woman's. But now, one no longer innocent, having intuited and understood all sorrow.
Kadim gritted his teeth and turned. He forced the dented door shut, climbed the furniture barricade. Heavy emotions clung like leather boots. Yet he stepped forward without looking back, melting into the shadows along the black swamp of night road.
Perhaps nothing more tragic in a life than learning young to endure sorrow.
*
Dawn didn't break. Grotesque crimson-black clouds choked the sky.
Rumble rumble rumble...
Its scale and density dwarfed a high demon's mere fog-like aura. Everywhere the eye reached was dyed murky hues; dissolved demonic energy poured like arrow barrages. All positive emotions withered; only pain and despair bloomed from the land.
Soltana.
The allied city linking Galentana and Vestana, the subjugation force's final target, ruins overrun by demons and monsters.
And... the confirmed lair of the 'central demon'.
Kadim gazed up at the towering walls. Then faced the demons and monsters guarding the gate.
- Keh heh heh heh hek!
- Food's back! Food, food's here again!
- Ki hi hik, th-this time no escape! Hurry, devour it quick!
His sword sharpened fiercer on the way; axe still keen enough; three daggers sturdy; tattoo power fully charged; demon blood... plenty there.
Kadim inhaled demonic energy deeply, lips twisting.
Ready to hunt.