The Darkest Reality and the Brightest Light
He had found suitable lodging. Beneath a sun that had yet to set, Hwian pressed a hand to his throbbing forehead and trudged forward with heavy steps.
“...I’ll handle the mantis subjugation. You focus on treating the injured. Don’t forget the objective. And since this isn’t a request that ends in a single day, pay attention to conserving your stamina. Don’t push yourself.”
“Understood. So does that mean I’ll be moving separately from you, Hero?”
“For today, yes. I need to assess the situation inside first. Starting tomorrow, we may go in together depending on how things develop.”
As they drew closer to the mine, the bustling atmosphere grew thick enough to heat the skin. Busy miners and adventurers packed the wide road completely.
When Hwian lifted his head slightly, he caught sight of the massive mountain range cradling veins of silver in the far distance.
Amid the majestic scenery, Hwian glanced back at Serena, who was following him, and asked,
“Any questions?”
“No, none.”
Serena’s eyes sparkled with wonder at the mountain range that seemed to touch the sky as she answered.
Hwian looked away from her and gave a small nod before continuing on.
“The mountain range is really… beautiful.”
“Didn’t you say you’d been here before?”
“I did visit once for an inspection a long time ago. But my brothers handled all the important matters, so I was simply waiting far away.”
Was that why she had seemed strangely excited? Come to think of it, the village of Kelib was famous for tourism thanks to that very mountain range. Her reaction wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.
“It’s so beautiful, yet people are suffering from monsters inside. How tragic.”
“...”
“Cave mantises may be small, but they spawn in massive numbers. It’s no wonder the miners are struggling.”
“...”
But while she spoke like that, Hwian felt only frustration. It was fine to admire the beautiful view, but… he couldn’t stop worrying that she might be underestimating the situation far too much.
His nerves were already razor-sharp from Ernest’s presence, and now a fresh wave of headache throbbed through his skull.
“...Um, Hero? If I’m not mistaken, your complexion has looked poor ever since we met the prince—”
Serena opened her mouth with clear concern for him.
“We’re here.”
“Ah, yes?”
Hwian spoke before she could finish.
The mine entrance, thick with dust and people, came into view. Mine carts rattled back and forth, and over a dozen men shouted in voices bordering on roars as they charged forward with pickaxes in hand.
Faint glimmers of silver peeked out from the piles of excavated earth. The faces of the sweating miners carried both exhaustion from grueling labor and a hint of pride.
“Whoa.”
“This isn’t the spot. The subjugation area is deeper inside.”
Faced with a sight she had never seen before, Serena’s golden eyes widened into perfect circles.
It was like something straight out of a picture book. The mine, now that she had stepped inside, was rough yet possessed a subtle beauty.
Serena followed Hwian as they moved farther into the mining zone.
“That’s the entrance to the surface mine. It’s relatively shallow, safer, and yields less silver. Still, it’s enough to put food on the table, which is why there are so many people.”
“Ah, I see…”
“We still have a ways to go before reaching the deep mine. The entrance is on the mountainside.”
She nodded at Hwian’s continued explanation.
No matter how lowly her birth and how much contempt she received, she was still royalty. She had never watched people sweat and toil from such close range.
It was fascinating. The sight of people willingly sweating for their livelihood.
This is what life is. This is living. This is effort.
…Someday, she wanted to live desperately like that for something of her own.
As Serena thought this, an unexpected smell suddenly reached her nose.
“...Huh?”
Hwian frowned as well, noticing the same odor beginning to sting his nostrils. Hearing the commotion growing louder from ahead, he simply continued walking in silence.
What he considered the surface mine was truly a ‘stable job.’
It offered no great prospects, but it was safe. A place that guaranteed moderate risk and moderate reward.
In contrast, the deep mine was…
…If he had to put it into words, closer to a gambling den.
Enormous risk. Enormous returns.
A place where only those with nothing left—no leisure, no opportunities—gathered.
A place hidden behind the surface-level shine, unknown to most people.
If you were lucky, you could live the rest of your life in luxury. If you weren’t, you could keep receiving chances until your luck turned.
…And if your luck was bad?
“Hemostatic! Hurry!”
“Where’s the rescue team?! There are still people inside—!”
“My arm! My aaaarm!!”
“Someone get over here and stop the bleeding! There’s too much blood….”
—That was what happened.
Clumps of dirt scattered across the ground. Spurts of fresh blood and streams soaking into the earth. Miners bearing large gashes somewhere on their bodies, and veteran adventurers desperately struggling to treat them.
The screams filled with despair and grief made Serena flinch to a halt.
Even Hwian shook his head at the nauseating metallic stench that filled his nostrils.
“This is reality.”
He muttered the words almost carelessly toward Serena, who had stopped beside him.
This was why he had worried so many times. This was exactly why he had firmly refused when she first said she wanted to come along.
This was reality.
Not clean sweat and honest effort, but a world built on dark blood and screams. The world Hwian had lived in. A world she had never experienced.
“If you think you can’t handle it, don’t force yourself. It wouldn’t be strange if you can’t endure this.”
…Step. As he took one step forward, sticky blood clung to Hwian’s shoe. The familiar sensation seeping through the sole made him close his eyes gently.
From the very beginning, bringing a girl who wasn’t even of age on a journey to subjugate the Demon King had been unreasonable.
In the past, during his first real battle, Hwian had retched and fled the scene. The stench of blood lingering in his nose and the unforgettable horrific sight had made him sob pathetically as he cursed his fate.
He knew what despair was.
He knew that darkness untouched by light existed in this world.
…Maybe I should have refused more strongly when the topic of traveling together first came up.
So of course he had expected Serena to run away. He thought she would turn pale, breathe raggedly, shed tears from those beautiful golden eyes, and flee back the way they had come.
That would have been the logical reaction.
“...Hah.”
But when he opened his eyes a moment later, what entered his vision was a sight that completely shattered his expectations.
“Are you alright?!”
“Wh-who…. …Ah.”
Serena was running across the blood-stained dirt path without the slightest hesitation.
She knelt beside a bloodied miner, staining her once-pure white clothes with blood and dust, yet willingly summoning her magic without regret.
“Please hold on just a little longer… just a little…”
“H-healing magic! Are you a mage?!”
“Yes? …Y-yes! Please gather the critically injured near me! I’ll go to those who can’t move…!!”
Her hands were trembling. Her golden eyes shook violently, and her breathing had grown rough from tension and urgency.
She was scared. Anxious. Everything was new to her, so she trembled terribly, and her heart pounded because she didn’t know if she could do this properly.
But. Even so.
“Ugh, grrr!”
“I’m sorry. Please endure it just a bit longer…”
There was no hesitation in her touch as she combined magic and emergency first aid. Even as her clothes grew filthy and overflowing blood soaked her arms, she did not stop.
What flowed through Serena’s mind was the image of the surface mine she had seen earlier.
The sight of most people laughing, chatting, struggling yet looking happy. A truly ordinary scene of peace lingered in her head.
“M-my arm… my arm…”
“...I’m sorry.”
That was why she clenched her teeth. She couldn’t stand how pathetic she felt.
Because the scene before her eyes had been peaceful, she had assumed everywhere else would be the same.
Witnessing the pain she had only read about in books now caused a sharp ache to bloom in her own chest.
“I’m sorry for being late…!”
She was pure. Pure like a child.
—Because she was pure, she longed for peace.
She simply, desperately wished for the person before her to suffer even a little less.
“It’s okay. You’ll feel better soon if you wait just a little.”
“Grr… ugh…”
Hwian stood there in a daze, watching her.
He had thought she would run. He had thought she would break down in despair before grief she couldn’t bear.
Yet Serena, burning her magic amid the screams and chaos, was like a single ray of light blooming from within the darkness.
Her desperate efforts to heal those on the verge of death resembled a saintess from a story.
…It’s completely different from how I was back then.
“Ah, Hero—”
“It’s fine. You don’t need to come greet me. …Do your best. But don’t overdo it.”
A child who could feel pain at the suffering of others.
A pure-white princess who understood compassion and mercy, who carried love for others deep in her heart.
“...Have I been underestimating you too much?”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind. We’ll talk later.”
Srrrng—. Hwian drew the sword at his waist.
Once again, an indescribable tickling sensation rose in his chest.