Karahan (6)
"Unni... then shouldn't we not go...?"
The twisted look on Rubia's face settled, and she grew quiet again.
What was that expression she just gave me...?
And she said they were going to touch Rubia...
Ugh... what is this, really...
"No. That's exactly why we have to go."
Hepais tilted her head.
I tilted mine too.
"Hepais. Who do you think even knew Eliximona existed? For starters, I didn't — and I'm a priestess."
"Uh... Master and me... and..."
"At most, people closest to your master, right?"
Hepais's head slowly nodded.
"But the fact that a criminal organization like that knows about it means—"
"Master was betrayed...?"
Rubia kept her silence.
But that alone was answer enough; Hepais's face crumpled in an instant.
"Who the hell... ah, so that's why we have to go... but the knights and adventurers all failed... Rubia Unni said so herself."
Hepais was right.
She'd said that multiple knights and adventurers had taken the request and tried to wipe them out, and every attempt had ended in failure.
All of them would have gone in fully prepared, properly equipped.
And there were only three of us...
Honestly, in my current state, it's not that I have no confidence.
But there could always be something unexpected...
"Those were ordinary people."
Rubia slowly straightened her back.
Then she laid one hand over her chest and spoke with deliberate weight.
"And who am I?"
"The Priestess..."
The corner of Rubia's mouth curled into a grin.
"That's right. Just trust your unni, Hepais."
"Whoa..."
Even I, who had been keeping my mouth shut tight just trying to keep up with the conversation, let out a gasp of awe at Rubia's radiance.
"For today, we'll just pin down the location and call it. The real start is tomorrow."
"Then... what about Mariel?"
"For now, don't let anything show. Act exactly the same. I'll handle that woman myself."
"Ah, okay. Got it."
Taking Hepais's answer, Rubia chuckled softly and reached a hand toward me.
"Come on, let's go eat, Noah. You must be starving. Hepais, you're hungry too, right?"
"Ah, y-yes..."
"...Yeah. But I don't have much of an appetite."
I nodded and took Rubia's hand.
The feeling that came through her grip was stronger than usual.
"Noah, don't let anything show either... hmm. Just stay the way you are now and it should be fine."
"Yeah. Noah Unni can just stay exactly like she is."
Rubia and Hepais looked at me and smiled faintly.
"W-what do you mean, exactly like I am?"
They're teasing me!
"You're cute."
"You just look like your usual self."
Yeah, they're definitely teasing me...
"Uuuugh..."
"Pfft— heh... anyway, Hepais. Don't worry too much. Even if we take a bit of a detour, this should be the surest way."
"It's not just that... I'm worried you unnis will get badly hurt..."
"They don't have a way to contact each other, so even if things go wrong, we won't die. And I don't think we'll get badly hurt either."
Rubia clenched my hand so hard the blood couldn't flow, grinding her teeth as she went on.
"But if, by any chance, it comes to that..."
Her gaze.
Once again.
Was fixed on me.
"I'll carve into their skulls, stitch by careful stitch, just how agonizing it is not to be allowed to die as they please."
Rubia and Hepais's acting skills were... terrifying.
Especially Rubia's.
Hepais was one thing, but Rubia... really...
How does she hide that bone-chilling killing intent so well...?
"Did everyone eat well?"
"Ah, yes. Thanks to you... I truly ate well. Thank you."
But Mariel's acting was top-tier as well.
If Rubia was right, she was preparing to stab us in the back.
And yet from her face alone, she looked like someone genuinely grateful...
"Yeah. I finished too."
"M-me too..."
"Then... shall we head out?"
Rubia rose from her seat and smiled sweetly.
That sales smile she used when talking to Jure...!
"Yeah. Let's go."
Hepais stood with the same resolved look she'd worn earlier.
"Yes, understood... haah..."
Mariel looked thoroughly tense.
I kept my usual expression, just as Rubia and Hepais had told me, and nodded.
"For today, we'll only confirm the location and numbers, then pull out. The real cleanup will come a little later."
Hepais pressed her lips into a hard line.
"I'm sorry, Hepais. Still... this is something we can't—"
"Yeah. I know... it's fine."
She cut Rubia off in a rough voice, then clenched her fists tight.
...I can't tell if that's acting or the real thing.
"Noah, you heard that too, right? No matter how few of them there are, you have to hold back today. You can't just charge in like last time. Understood?"
Me, charge in...?
"Y-yes...?"
"You know, like last time. When we cleaned up that new criminal outfit that popped up in Alrba. I told you to hold back, and you just couldn't... aigoo."
Alrba...?
Uuuh...?
"Their boss had all four limbs torn off so he couldn't even move, and his jaw was ripped away, so he was crawling off with just his upper teeth going crunch-crunch... I know he was a terrible person, but that was a bit much."
Rubia rubbed her arms slowly, as if a chill had run through her.
Even Hepais was looking at me strangely...
And Mariel, who had been following behind us, froze in place, her whole body trembling.
Her teeth were even chattering — clack-clack...
"I-I... uh..."
This is acting, right...?
I'm supposed to play along...?
Uuuugh...
I thought hard about what the adventurers I'd seen in passing would say.
After racking my brain, a decent answer came to me.
Slowly, I cleared my throat inside my head.
"He was shaking so hard that when I p-peeled his underlings' hides myself and covered him with them like a blanket, it was really funny... right?"
Did that work?
Was that okay?
Why is there no reaction...
Not enough...?
Then... something Rubia would say...
"A-and... the one who lured us into a trap still can't even die thanks to Rubia... he turned into a sandbag that can't move... so whenever we get mad we can just wham-wham—! him... it'd be nice if we got one more... hehe."
That's how Rubia would talk!
She said she'd tear their limbs off and not even let them die earlier!
"N-Noah...?"
"Yes?"
Rubia stopped in her tracks and turned to look at me.
Horror was written all over her face.
Hepais was the same.
And Mariel—
Thud—
"Hic... hhk... kkh..."
—had collapsed on the spot and was crying.
"Uh, ah... um... a-haha... right. That was really... f-funny. Getting one more this time would be nice..."
Rubia laughed awkwardly and yanked my hand hard.
Then she whispered quietly by my ear.
"Noah. You... you haven't actually done anything like that, right...?"
"O-of course not... what do you take me for..."
"Really...?"
"Augh... really."
Only after hearing my clear answer did Rubia look relieved.
What.
Rubia started this whole thing.
Why is she only like this with me...?
"Mariel. Don't worry too much. We'll handle this cleanly, so there won't be any retaliation."
"U-hhk... y-yes... thank you."
"Come on, let's go. Just show us the location and then rest easy. I'll even walk you to the temple."
"Hhk... yes... understood..."
Pulled to her feet by Rubia's hand, Mariel still trembled so hard her legs shook.
"Careful now. Watch your step."
Mariel no longer had the strength to speak; she only gave a small nod and walked on.
We walked for a long while.
Until the streets emptied of people.
Until the world grew quiet.
Mariel's steps stopped.
Her face hardened like stone.
I spread my Qi Sensing.
Mariel bit down — crunch — on the pill embedded in her gum and screamed.
"Shit! Get out here already!"
"Since when...!"
Rubia's startled voice rang out at the same moment.
The shape of the building sketched itself in my mind.
Mana writhed through Mariel's body.
The building's structure took form.
The writhing mana burst outward.
The building's interior took form.
It stretched toward Hepais and Rubia.
Behind the door, thirty-two people took form.
Hepais's face flooded with terror.
I saw them opening the door.
Rubia's divine power blocked Mariel's attack.
I reached out.
And smashed Mariel's—
No. The magic beast's head.
Crack—
The magic beast's body crumpled bonelessly.
Fortunately, she was still breathing.
The door opened.
I drew my greatsword.
"Kill the pink-haired one first!"
An axe came flying at Hepais.
I batted it aside with the greatsword's hilt.
The magic beasts' faces twisted in shock.
I surged forward and swung the greatsword.
The abdomen of the one in front burst open.
The lower half of the one beside him was torn away.
Rubia's divine power, wrapped around Hepais, surged and seethed.
A wave of mana shot at me from the side.
I ignored it and swung the greatsword.
The mana wave was stopped by Rubia's divine power.
My greatsword shredded another magic beast's limbs.
Entrails painted the wall.
The same kind of mana wave fired toward Rubia.
Divine power writhed.
Too late.
I scooped up a hunk of meat sprawled on the floor and flung it behind me.
The mana wave detonated the meat and vanished.
I stomped a true step and drove my fist into the abdomen of the magic beast that had fired it.
Crunch— the sensation of punching through a wall of mana and shattering ribs came through crystal clear.
The bones in my hand shattered too.
"Ah. There it is."
Pain started in my hand and raced to my brain.
My heart hammered violently.
The blood in my body ran wild.
Emotion surged.
That emotion lifted the corners of my mouth.
And moved my hands on their own.
Carving wounds into my body.
Scrape—scrape-scrape—crunch—crack—
I raked my nails across my skin and drew blood.
Grind—grind—screee—screeech—
I dragged the greatsword's edge across my hand and drew blood.
Crunch— crunch-crunch— scrape-scrape—
I bit down on my tongue and drew blood.
The blood running wild erupted in every direction.
My body burned hot.
My throat, drying without end.
Wanted blood.
A body bled to its limit.
Craved blood.
From the broken hand.
From the scraped skin.
From the cut hand.
From the torn tongue.
The pain vanished.
I felt thirst.
My throat.
Was dry.