The Mountain Sign
Two days ago.
The first one to shout was Ragner.
“Kim Taesik has disappeared!” he bellowed. “We have to find him! He’s our friend, after all!”
Yeah. The pathetic bastard who only ever thought of himself as our friend. Even as he said it, a smile crept across Ragner’s lips.
No more obstacles.
Normally, it was Kim Taesik whom Lunaris called over for massages. Ragner, who could only watch from afar, had no choice but to burn with jealousy.
Those beautiful, curving muscles! That rugged strength that reeked of pure male power. Back in his tribe, there wasn’t a single woman who didn’t follow Ragner. During their two years of travel, he had genuinely believed he could make both women his own.
But they showed zero interest in him.
The Saintess had no interest in men at all, and the mage only had eyes for the hero. So this moment had to be the absolute best for Ragner.
He kept saying they needed to find Kim Taesik, but that was only to rile Lunaris up. “You’re telling us to look for him? What kind of bullshit is that? It’s bad for us!” someone might have said. But that wasn’t the point.
Lunaris had too much pride. She wasn’t the type to chase after someone who had run away. By pushing the idea of searching for him, Ragner planned to make her hurry the journey along.
And everything went exactly as Ragner intended.
A journey with just the three of them! If the hero was gone, then the greatest warrior—himself—would take that role. He would show off his manliness, fill the empty spot, and steal their hearts. That was exactly what Ragner had been thinking as he moved.
Only…
“…Ugh!”
Pathetic. Where is the hero?
“…I’m the hero!”
I despise liars, you savage.
What an idiot.
Lunaris truly meant it. She had known from the start that Ragner saw them as nothing more than pieces of meat to satisfy his lust. She had swallowed her disgust and played along, but now that Taesik was gone, the man was throwing a complete tantrum. Acting like he was the hero.
“Tsk.”
Lunaris clicked her tongue.
Ragner thought that without the Holy Sword, he couldn’t deliver the finishing blow to their enemies. On top of that, after moving his body for the first time in a long while, the Saintess Fina and the mage Lunaris were practically useless.
They challenged the dungeon several more times after that. It was all because of Lunaris’s stubbornness.
Eventually, even Ragner grew anxious and started thinking they really needed to find Kim Taesik. As unfair as it was, the women wouldn’t even spare him a glance. He had considered forcing himself on them, but that would only bring disaster down on his own head.
“Damn it!”
“…Haa… haa…”
“…Sister, are you okay?”
“Get away from me, Fina. Don’t touch me…!”
“Eep!”
Instead of looking cool, Ragner ended up fleeing the demonic realm like a pathetic dog with his tail between his legs.
Fina walked a few steps behind Lunaris, staring at her back with a gloomy expression. Lunaris realized it too late.
This wasn’t the time to talk about pride. They needed Kim Taesik.
She had only used him as a tool to gather more wealth and treasure. But without him, what was the point?
Her family had abandoned her. Traveling the world alone had taught her one thing: money was everything. But now things felt a little different.
She used to think it was fine to use anyone if it meant collecting more money. Yet the karmic backlash that came piling back was far greater than she had imagined.
It wasn’t about the money anymore. The hero had run away. If the Demon King’s army learned of this, what would they do? They would immediately leave the demonic realm and lead their dark legions forward.
“…I don’t like this at all.”
Pride? She could shove that up a dog’s ass. Even if she had to kneel and beg, she needed to bring Kim Taesik back. If everything burned away because of her own actions, then all the money she had gathered would lose its meaning.
She regretted it. She should have used him more carefully.
If Kim Taesik had heard that thought, he probably would have had a seizure. He was strong. So strong that he seemed capable of doing everything alone. But in reality, they had dumped everything on him.
She could understand why he ran. She knew it was a trashy way of thinking. But the moment she realized she couldn’t even spend the money she had saved without him, he suddenly became necessary again.
After clashing with a few of the Demon King’s generals and barely surviving, she finally understood. They needed Kim Taesik.
She regretted the past. She regretted treating him so harshly. She ought to apologize. It was shameless, but she needed him.
That idiot Ragner and Fina probably didn’t feel any guilt. That was just how they were. At the very least, she regretted it.
“…It hurts.”
“We need rest first.”
“…Sister, let’s go east. We’ve been there often. If we rest there for a bit, everything will be fine.”
Would it really? But right now, there was nothing else they could do. Even though she didn’t like it, Lunaris decided to follow Fina’s suggestion. They needed to heal both body and mind.
So they headed for the nearest resort country—the eastern Ludrick Kingdom.
“Haa… I spread the rumor that he ran away with the Holy Sword to find him first, but…”
No news came back. Was she causing him trouble? For a moment, the thought crossed her mind. But there was no other choice. They—we—no, at least the mage Lunaris needed him.
Then, a commotion arose.
A pink-haired maid and someone wearing a cheap mask. There was no way she wouldn’t recognize him just because he wore a mask. Even if he wrapped the Holy Sword in cloth and hid his face, what was the point? The armor he wore was the equipment he had made after killing the Legion Commander Drake of the Frozen Legion.
“…Taesik?”
Lunaris unconsciously spoke his name.
*
I am certain. I am now completely convinced that the world hates me.
What the hell went wrong? Was it from the moment I was summoned to this other world? From the moment I accepted the request to kill the Demon King? Or maybe… No, perhaps the world had hated me even before that.
Otherwise, there would be no way to explain this dogshit situation.
Why the hell is Lunaris, who should be stuck in the demonic realm, appearing here? Did I waste too much time? If she’s here, does that mean Ragner and Fina are here too?
“…Taesik.”
And why does she have such a desperate look on her face? Anyone watching would think I committed some terrible sin. Stop it! Just stop! Don’t look at me with those eyes! People are going to misunderstand!
“Is he the mage’s lover?”
“…His expression looks so dark. Maybe that man dumped her.”
No! It’s not like that! Aaaargh!
…What the hell is this? My head is spinning. In an instant, my mind is filled with nothing but calculations on how to overcome this situation. Dozens of scenarios flash through my head every second.
Isabel spoke to me.
“Hero-nim, make your choice.”
My mind snapped back to reality. I’m not sure if “snapped” is the right word, but nothing else fits. By then, my mouth was already moving.
“Should we bolt?”
I jumped onto the horse and immediately galloped away. Isabel followed right behind me. I was grateful she had pulled back the Safety Guardians, but honestly, the reason I ran away in the first place was because I didn’t want to be with any of you.
I have zero intention of being caught quietly.
“Hya!”
Horse, please run faster than anyone else.
*
It was supposed to be a comfortable journey. Sure, I had no money, I was starving, and things were harsh. There were some problems, but compared to running into Lunaris just now, those were nothing.
“…Did those guys escape the demonic realm? Are they looking for me?”
“For people supposedly looking for you, they looked pretty exhausted.”
“There’s no way a party without me could function properly.”
Serves them right. Come to think of it, it was strange how the rumor that I had left the hero’s party spread so quickly. They must have told the King of Ludrick whatever they wanted. I could understand them ratting me out. To them, I was just a useful lackey—a tool that had run away.
But could they really leave the demonic realm and reach the Ludrick Kingdom before me? It wasn’t impossible. Without me, their party would have been crushed if they fought a Legion Commander. Without the Holy Sword, they couldn’t deliver the finishing blow to the children of the Demon King. It was practically guaranteed.
They would have been mentally drained, physically exhausted, and covered in wounds. They would have needed rest. Instead of heading back to Banaheim Kingdom where we used to stay, they came straight to Ludrick Kingdom—a resort that Lunaris frequently visited.
The scattered puzzle pieces finally clicked together.
“Damn it. Nothing ever goes right.”
“Why don’t you just abandon the Holy Sword?”
“If I do that, I can’t kill the Demon King. I need to return to my hometown.”
I have family there, after all. I wonder if I’ve been declared missing in that world. Or maybe I’ve been erased entirely. I thought about it a lot. Every single day from the first day I fell into this world until the end of the first month. After that, I stopped thinking about it much. I was too busy fighting monsters.
Anyway, for various reasons, I can’t just throw away the Holy Sword. The most I can do is wrap it carefully in cloth like this. When I saw the Safety Guardians of Ludrick inspecting weapons, I realized the news about me had probably spread even to foreign lands.
That sword had become both the key to sending me back home and the lock blocking my path right now.
What annoyed me even more was—
“Catch him!”
“It’s the mage’s order!”
The fact that a pursuit team had been dispatched was the most irritating part. More than thirty people came galloping after us, reins snapping.
“…This is getting troublesome.”
“This is so unfair I could die! There’s no reason for me to be running like this!”
Who knew getting some rest would be this difficult.
“This is all because of you, Hero-nim. What did I do wrong?”
“The misunderstanding should clear up by tomorrow, so just hold out for one day. I trust Seria will handle it well.”
“…Let’s think while we run for now.”
“If we don’t get caught, that is!”
I snapped the reins and urged the horse faster. Even if it was a bit much, I just needed it to endure. The wind stung my cheeks so sharply it almost hurt. That was how fast we were going.
Isabel shouted over the sound of the wind whipping past her ears.
“Hero-nim! Isn’t there anything you can do?!”
“I could, but touching other people while riding a horse isn’t exactly easy, you know?!”
I could put to sleep anyone I touched. The reason I didn’t want a bloodbath was because it would be inconvenient for me. On top of that, I couldn’t set up traps quickly in this situation. And we were on horseback. Swiftness magic didn’t work on horses. Odin’s blessing only applied to the caster, so I couldn’t affect everyone.
That was why it was so annoying.
Lunaris knew my abilities better than anyone. That was probably why she sent this many people. Even if I touched ten of them while riding, more than twenty others would surround me. And I doubted it would end there. That sly woman Lunaris would have definitely prepared something to capture me. That was my “certainty” after spending two years with her.
In the end, I couldn’t touch all thirty-plus pursuers. What a wicked woman. If she had a brain like that, she should have used it to help me kill the Legion Commanders.
“How can someone be this incompetent!”
“Then what exactly are you doing?! Weren’t you supposed to be here to assist me?”
“Hmph! I am simply following Lady Seria’s will.”
Isabel was getting irritated. Her cheeks puffed out as she glared at me. It’s not my fault!
“Ugh! Why do these things keep happening to me?!”
“If you’re going to blame someone, blame Seria, not me.”
“I-ignoring your master is not right!”
“Then shut up and ride!”
“Damn it all!”
There were forests on both sides. I gave Isabel a look. She seemed to understand and began riding beside me. I spoke softly enough that only the two of us could hear.
“Keep running straight to the right.”
“What about you, Hero-nim?”
“I’ll follow from behind. It’s fine, so just keep riding.”
“…Hmph.”
I took that as a yes. Please let it be a yes.
We galloped across the plains. The fresh scent of green grass swirled in the air, tickling my nose. If it had been peaceful, I would have enjoyed it leisurely, but the situation was what it was. I had no time to savor the smell of grass.
I ran. I ran like hell. I whipped the reins so hard I thought my arms might break.
“Hiiiiiiing!”
Sorry, horse… Does it hurt? Just endure it a little longer. It’s all for me. Hehe.
After running for a while, I finally managed to enter the dense forest. I called out to Isabel. My voice was a bit loud, but the pursuers probably couldn’t hear it. The wind must have carried it away.
“Keep going straight!”
“You! You’re not planning to leave me behind, are you? That would be very troublesome!”
“That won’t happen, so don’t worry!”
Isabel rode on with a doubtful look. I kept pace a little behind her before suddenly making a sharp left turn.
“The hero! The hero changed direction!”
“Everyone, follow him!”
Of course, it was a distraction. The distance between us and them was widening. Don’t compare their horses to mine. My horse was one of the finest from the Lionblood family. It was born noble, after all.
The speed gap only grew larger.
“Follow the hoofprints!”
“Find the tracks!”
A laugh burst out of me. They would never find me. While running, I had been snapping off large leaves and branches to erase my tracks. Even if they found my horse, the growing distance was inevitable.
Most of all, thinking I went left would be a huge mistake. I turned right again, slipped between the trees, and went straight.
Hoofprints appeared. These were the tracks Isabel had left. All of this came down to experience. There was no way I would be caught by Lunaris’s dogs who had never helped, only watched blankly or ran away.
How long did I run while erasing my tracks? The pursuit team was no longer visible, and even their shouting voices had faded. I was sure the distance had grown quite large.
A strange sense of satisfaction washed over me. It felt like the thrill of winning a strategy game. I clenched my fist tightly.
It was a shame I couldn’t enter the resort, but thinking that those guys were there made it not a shame at all. If anything, it felt like I had given them a big middle finger, and that made me happy.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
My heart was racing. Was this really that exciting? Feeling the pulse, I lightly raised my middle finger.
The beautiful word that means “mountain” in sign language.
A magical language that could enrage everyone with a single gesture! I gave them a big mountain.
“Go ahead and try doing well without me.”
With a satisfied smile, I began riding after Isabel. The cool breeze and morning sunlight felt especially pleasant today.
And then.
“…Haa.”
Tonight, I’ll sleep inside the tent again.
“I want to sleep at an inn too…”
I have money, so why can’t I use it? Aaaargh!