Chapter 203
Chapter 203
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 203
Chapter Title: A Direct Question
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- Let me ask you straight out. Have you ever killed a Special Division mage?
On the day everything came to an end, as he worked to restore order amid the chaos, Doran Slade posed the question.
- I've killed plenty of people in my life, but never a Special Division mage.
Doran eyed Valensidis as if weighing him, then looked up at the sky with a wry smile.
- Will you judge me?
- Whether those words are true or false, and judgment on your other deeds... those are matters for the gods. Besides, your contributions are far too great to nitpick over such things.
He pointed to his own leg and chuckled.
- Truth be told, in this state, I doubt I could beat you even if we fought, so I'm just making excuses to back off.
- …….
- And you'll be a great help on that man's journey. It'd be a shame to exclude you here.
When Valensidis demonstrated reconstructing his left arm with black magic and offered to teach him the ritual, Doran shook his head without a moment's hesitation.
- Lin taught me never to touch black magic.
This man had surely walked the righteous path of light his entire life, unlike Valensidis.
He had once seemed merely suspicious, annoying, and troublesome—an enemy of sorts. But that day, Valensidis found himself harboring a strange respect for Doran.
Wasn't he the man who had walked the path of the mage that Valensidis had secretly pursued, from childhood all the way to adulthood?
- What if it's not black magic?
- ……?
- It's a hybrid ritual blending magic and shamanism, so you'd need to study incantation-type altigma. But if it succeeds, you could regain your leg without resorting to black magic.
At that, Doran looked at Valen with a puzzled gaze...
- I never imagined there'd be that kind of bond between you and me.
And Valen...
- It's not about bonds. It's just that putting you in debt to the Special Division seems like it'd be pretty useful.
Snapping out of last night's reverie, Valensidis now stood in room C182 of the central ward.
"The ends of the earth."
The archer Rem stroked his chin for a moment, then vigorously shook his verdant locks.
"That sounds fun."
Rain had just finished explaining his goal to them.
What was there to hide? He'd revealed Aki's true nature and concisely recounted the life he'd lived thus far.
Of course, he hadn't uttered the insane truth that he was Lin reincarnated.
"You wanna come along?"
"Our little troublemaker's heading off—I'm worried he'll knock up every woman he sees on the Adrion continent, so what choice do I have? Gotta follow and keep an eye on him."
"Ah, damn it, that's not what I meant. Did you even listen to the explanation?"
An owl hooted outside the window, where the curtain of darkness had fallen.
For the record, the imperial dragon perched atop Rain's head, while Aki slumbered in his arms.
The bandaged giant, Bart, watched the scene with envious eyes and spoke up.
"Remember what we said last time?"
"Hm?"
"Hm? Hm? Hm? Hm?"
"We're friends, Rain. We help each other when times are tough. The Adrion continent is a land steeped in chaos—crossing it alone would be too much."
Friends...
The word resonated in a strangely pleasant way. Like a term forgotten three hundred years ago.
As much as that word echoed in him, he liked these two fools. He liked the cheeky Rem. He liked the reliable Bart.
That's why he couldn't bring himself to invite them along.
"It's far too dangerous a path."
Reading the look in Rain's eyes, Valensidis nodded and pointed to the map affixed to the wall.
"Nearly sixty percent of the Adrion continent falls under the Black Church's sphere of influence. It's teeming with powerful figures—not quite on the level of Dragon Slayers, but formidable nonetheless."
- …….
"You'll have to endure bloodbaths like this one time and again. Especially as you near [Flame Myriad]—as you draw closer to Jernix—the danger will amplify to the extreme."
"Amplify, amplify, amplify."
"The second pillar is Elamas, a being on par with Jernix. But no one knows where this monster lurks. That's what makes it all the more dangerous."
A brief silence fell, then Bart snatched up the dragonbone spear leaning against the wall.
Light bounced fiercely yet nobly from the dragonbone stones forming the spear's core.
True to his Namryun swordsman roots, he possessed considerable strength, wielding the spear one-handed. Of course, mastering it as freely as its original owner would take time.
"I get how dangerous the path is, Rain. That's exactly why I have to go with you. I'll help you with this spear."
"What?"
"Don't act tough, you idiot. You know damn well you'd be chasing natural reunions in hell twice over by now if it weren't for us?"
He'd meant to scare them off...
But he could see why he'd liked these fools from the moment they met.
These fools made him remember.
The days with Rista, Fride, and Kies. They overlaid those days onto his daily life. Even mundane things made him laugh.
"And I gotta stick with you if I wanna keep using the White Bow Palace, heh heh heh. Before you know it, I'll be its true master."
Such ulterior motives...
Bart revealed his true colors too.
"But I have a condition."
"?"
"I wanna pet Aki regularly too."
That's not something I can allow...
Even when Bart peeled her a tangerine, Aki had been deeply wary. Maybe because it was her first time meeting such a massive man.
"Regularly depends on you, Bart. For now, she's asleep, so go ahead and give her a little pat."
Bart's hand was so large it could cover Aki's head entirely, but he stroked her head gently and broke into a bright smile.
"Abuu..."
Aki's brows twitched as if uncomfortable.
Sorry, Aki, but she only likes my hands. Sigh, my adorable little one~.
Just as he nearly broke into a foolish grin, the room door burst open, and in walked a rival who adored her touch as much as he did.
"I'm coming too."
The one who said it was, surprisingly... for a moment, he almost blurted out "Rista."
Unlike when hunting goblins, she wore lightweight plate over clothes woven from silk and wool.
Assuming combat against non-goblin foes, she'd reinforced her arms and legs with vambraces and greaves—eerily similar to Rista's gear.
He later learned it was armor forged by melting down gear stripped of the Demon Slayer's power.
"What?"
Crushing Rain's shock and concern in one go, Miria drew the sword dangling from her sword belt in its steel scabbard.
It was a long sword.
A long sword with half its blade broken.
The moment he realized it, a menacing crimson-black aura erupted, forming along the blade.
"Sword aura..."
Bart raised an eyebrow in interest.
The mark of a peak swordsman—sword aura—the secret technique he'd barely grasped after grueling training.
But Rista—no, Miria—shook her head and pointed to the arm gripping her sword. Like the old Milrea, red light pulsed through her veins.
"This isn't sword aura. It's a fragment of the power the Demon Slayer once held."
- ……!
"If it's the power that even gave you trouble, then at least I won't be a burden, right?"
"Burden, burden, burden."
"You don't get it? Let's go to [Flame Myriad] together. I dream of adventure just like you, I owe you a debt, and I'm worried about leaving Aki solely in your hands."
Aunt Linda had been frail since birth and couldn't travel far.
- Linda, I just came back from the Twilight Grass Festival in the Seges region...
So Uncle Link would return from his adventures and share fresh, wondrous tales from across the continent.
- Wow, it must have been so beautiful.
Aunt Linda would always listen with a joyful smile. Perhaps that's where her childhood dreams of adventure took root.
"No objections, right?"
"I don't object, but... can we really leave the island right away? If it were me, I wouldn't."
"I'm not you."
Even without the Demon Slayer's power, Miria was a valuable asset.
Above all, with that power alongside, it might feel like journeying with Link again.
But something felt off.
She'd said she was a castaway found outside the island. Not Link's descendant. So how did she inherit that power?
Mistaking Rain's contemplation for silent refusal, Rem snickered.
"You were planning to hook up with every woman on the way, but now your wife's chasing you—got you all flustered?"
"She's not my wife?"
"Who's your wife?"
The two synced up perfectly, glaring at Rem and finishing each other's sentences in unison.
It was an impossible tandem without prior practice. Could he ever pull that off with Bart? No way.
So Rem exchanged baffled glances with Bart and replied.
"It was a joke... but she's not really your wife?"
Two days later, as Rem and Bart's recovery wrapped up and they boarded the merchant ship, Miria gazed down at the docks of <Karsiko>, lost in memories.
The green city of <Karsiko> buzzed with crowds at the southern canal docks on the day of their departure.
Mostly islanders from Linkland, come to bid farewell to Bart and Rem, the archipelago's heroes.
Rain and Valensidis had concealed their presence once more. Thus, all the outward glory fell to them.
- Daddy, bring back something yummy!
Overlooking the docks, Miria smiled wistfully.
Long ago.
Before her daily life shattered.
She too had come here with her sister and aunt to see Uncle Link off, waving her arms vigorously.
- You got it! Be good and listen to Mommy.
When a chunk of those warm, beautiful memories was carved away, only cold, lonely ones remained.
- Ha, what kind of Slayer do you think you'll become fumbling around like that?
The days struggling to become a Goblin Slayer...
Recalling her father's mocking swings, trailing adventurers to scavenge combat skills like scraps.
Handing over every coin from commissions to the Slayers... it had seemed endless, a path with no end in sight.
"It's okay to leave without a proper goodbye? I'm fine with it, but looks like you don't like this city much."
This guy.
This guy finished that journey for her.
"Guess I should show Aki off a bit. Aki, say hi!"
"Aki, bye-bye!"
"Bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye."
As Aki waved toward the pier, an explosive cheer erupted! What cuteness! The imperial dragon mimicked her, raising a hand.
"Aruuu!"
For a fleeting moment, an unguarded smile nearly tugged at Miria's lips. She leaned back against the railing to hide her expression.
"It's fine. It's not like I have lingering affection for this island—I'm not even one of its people to begin with. Looking back, there are more horrific memories than good ones. I'm just a bit worried about the long journey ahead, that's all."
He shot her an incredulous look, then burst into laughter.
"Tee hee hee, tee hee."
As he laughed, Aki giggled along, as if catching the mood.
"What? What's so funny?"
"Nah, just..."
He never imagined it.
Hearing the words he'd once said to Rista... from her, who so eerily resembled Rista.
And passing on the words that Rista had said to him... to her.
"That's what it means to like it."
Miria felt her eyes widen hugely for an instant.
What is this feeling?
Again. Another strange memory overlapping.
The image of a boy with a straw hat perched crookedly on his head flashed through her mind with the tolling of soul bells. That's when it happened.
"Miria!"
A shout from the crowd yanked her head around.
Milrea, there with Linda at the docks, waved both arms vigorously—just like in those childhood days seeing Father off.
The same call she'd heard in the daily life of a dozen years ago.
"You know you have to bring back something yummy, right?"
Miria's eyes trembled.
Her bitten lips curled up unbidden. Hot heat welled up in her throat.
No reason to cry now.
She mustn't cry.
Turning back, her vision blurred with misty tears as she waved.
"Of course. So Sis, be good and listen to Mom... got it?"
Linda, remembering that farewell, hid her own choked tears and waved her daughter off.
Then she turned her gaze to Linkland's main island—unseen from here—toward the grave where Link's smile lay sleeping.
A breeze stirred then, swirling the pebbles scattered before the stone mound into a bizarre pattern... like laughter.
"Grandpa, you know, I kept dreaming that Lin would come help us."
"Is that so?"
"They say the ancestor left those words. That if trouble came, Lin would come to help... guess it was just a empty dream."
As Slime Slayer Cora chatted with the village chief Dos, Milrea turned to them with a beaming smile.
"He's here."
She pressed a fist gently to her chest, her eyes dreamy as she continued.
There's no way she could forget.
That voice reaching into the abyss of eternity to offer her a hand.
- You look just like Link.
The warmth of that smile.
The affection for an old friend's descendant conveyed through that touch.
- A friend of Link's.
And just before escaping that pit, the figure pressing a finger to his lips with a sly grin. As if to say, this is our little secret.
"Lin Uncle came."
Because that's the promise he made.
The promise from three hundred years ago with the ancestor—he came all this way to keep it.
'Uncle, that's our little secret, right?'