Chapter 86 - I Want to Speak (2)

As of today, I withdraw my support for Kimchi Dumpling.

From now on, moving beyond mere support, Kimchi Dumpling and I are one body, and any attack on Kimchi Dumpling will be considered an attack on me...!

Kimchi Dumpling, who covered for this trolling, is a god!!

"... You really aren't going to self-harm, right?"

I barely stood up with DeB's help. I had been tied up for so long that my limbs didn't even feel tingly. It seemed like it would take a long time for the sensation to return.

"Um, the quest isn't over yet? You know that, right?"

Meanwhile, Windhand, whether feeling anxious about my lack of a reply or not, chimed in with awkward, feigned calmness.

Rather than pressing me, it was closer to giving me an added reason to live. It was decent covering fire.

"There are still two cities left to reclaim... and a lot of demons remain too. There are remnants as well... so, um."

"... Where is my sword?"

Right, right. Having defeated the boss, I should wrap up the quest cleanly.

While we're at it, could you tell me where my missing sword is.

I remember breaking the scimitar while fighting the transformed Bipurit, but I have no idea where the True Two-hander went. Seeing as it's not on my back, I must have dropped it or had it confiscated while I was on a rampage.

"Uhm, about that."

I looked at them as they trailed off. The three pirates seemed completely clueless, while the Inquisitor and DeB seemed to know but didn't readily continue speaking.

Do they think I'm going to kill myself the moment I get my sword? I won't, though.

"We-ell..."

"It disappeared."

... Even so, there's no need for it to unfold like this, is there?

Feeling like I was making the face of a Tibetan fox, I slowly closed my eyes.

"Right."

I doubt there's any reason for a perfectly fine sword to disappear, but... I already commissioned a sword anyway, so it should be fine.

Actually, now that I'd taken care of the important business, I was getting hungry again and didn't have the energy to care about anything else. I slowly headed outside while being supported. Anything would do; I just wanted to fill my stomach and get a good sleep.

"You...!"

But then I ran into the Archmage. I figured she must have rushed over after hearing the news. Her clothes and hair were disheveled, like someone who had come sprinting.

"You've woken up."

The Archmage, who had an urgent look on her face, flinched the moment she met my eyes. But that didn't last long.

She soon regained her composure. The benevolent smile I often saw on her returned to the Archmage's face.

However, having committed such a sin, it felt a bit wrong to look her straight in the eye.

I stared at her for a moment before lowering my gaze. I intended to tone down my temper a bit while I was at it. Indeed, an incident of this magnitude was surely reason enough for me to become docile toward them.

"I have quite a bit I want to say, but... now isn't the right time for it. Get some rest for now. I did choose a seal that puts less strain on the body, but a whopping two weeks have passed, hasn't it. It must have taken a toll on your body."

I see. So the seal placed on me was one that put less strain on the body.

But the words that followed just now were a bit strange. Two weeks? Two weeks had passed?

No wonder my Satiety was at rock bottom.

I felt a sense of deja vu at the Archmage's words. This was exactly like back in Tatara. Once again, my time had been deleted.

"... I will."

Still, looking at the state of things outside, it seemed a lot had been sorted out over the two weeks.

If I had been awake, I probably would have been mobilized to make the city look like that. Let's just be thankful that I at least avoided the hard labor.

It's time that can't be taken back anyway, and being pessimistic about it will only ruin my mood.

Above all, the trigger for the newly acquired 'Rage' skill seemed to be negative emotions, especially things like annoyance or anger, no matter how I looked at it.

Of course, I've never seen a skill that triggers by recognizing the player's emotional state in any game before, but...

Has this game been like this only once or twice? I consider it entirely possible. Even if having to control my anger like a certain green doctor from now on is a bit much.

"Yes. Get a good rest. You there, I have a favor to ask."

"Don't worry."

"The Inquisitor must have just returned as well, so please get a good rest."

"Ah, yes!"

I obediently accepted the Archmage's consideration. The Archmage's gaze then finally left me.

Her next targets were the three pirates who had been standing here but hadn't been able to interject since earlier.

"I think it would be best for you to set off soon as well. It seems the Lord is preparing to head back."

"... Yep."

Lord? They said the Lord of this city was dead, and if it's related to Windhand, it must be the Lord of Zakrati. Why did the Lord of that place come here...?

I pondered for a moment before giving up due to my screaming stomach. Forget everything else, let's just eat first. Food!

* * *

"I still cannot believe him."

That was what I heard after eating well, getting a good sleep, and waking up. Since I had already realized what blowing away the castle meant, I didn't feel bad about it.

Even I wouldn't be able to easily give my trust if I almost got hit by an attack like that.

"Why is that?"

"... Isn't he dangerous! There are still many cities to reclaim and villages to save, so going around leaving him in the rear is a bit..."

"Why must we leave him in the rear? His combat prowess will be helpful in clearing out the demons hiding in the forest and reclaiming the villages and cities."

In that regard, the Inquisitor is truly strange.

What have I even done for her that she would stop my execution and believe in me. I'm thankful, but the uneasiness just won't go away.

"Anyway, there's nothing to like about the Temple's prudes."

The same goes for Deathbringer, who was eating next to me; I couldn't understand him either.

From what I briefly heard, my rampaging self apparently shattered his kukri and tried to kill him, yet even after experiencing that, his attitude toward me is exactly the same as before.

No, it actually feels like he's trying to take care of me even more...?

Anyway, I really don't know why those two are treating me favorably. The only thing I've given you guys is a shitty attitude, isn't it.

CRUNCH.

Well, whatever. I stood up from my seat while chewing on the lightly roasted carrots and potatoes.

Normally I wouldn't have spared a sliver of attention, but this was a special situation. Above all else, if they were to take issue with my rampage, I had to unconditionally take a step back.

"Wait, are you already done eating? There's still some left."

DeB was flustered at seeing me like that. He had clearly forgotten that I had food stored in my inventory.

"Please wait a moment."

"Aah."

As I headed out without pretending to listen, DeB hastily shoved his meal into his mouth and followed.

The Inquisitor seemed like she tried to follow too, but she had way too much food left to easily come after us.

"Where are you going?"

"... Do not follow me."

"Are you perhaps going to the dining hall?"

I don't know. My satiety is only halfway full, so I don't really feel the need to go to the dining hall.

Hm. Since it's come to this, should I go see the Archmage? She did say she had something to tell me.

"Hmm, doesn't seem like the dining hall..."

No, let's not go.

I changed my mind. From what I had roughly eavesdropped, it seemed the Archmage was incredibly busy.

Most of all, it was certain that Mages from the Magic Tower would be swarming around the Archmage.

That was the biggest problem.

["Excuse me, if it's alright with you, could you spare a portion of your bodily tissue? From your right arm, if possible!"]

["Excuse me, are you perhaps interested in the arrangement and cohesion of mana? I am quite the specialist in this field..."]

I know the Mages don't have bad intentions, but they need to look at a person as a person first.

Therefore, going to see the Archmage in person is a bit off-putting. I don't want to run into the Mages.

"Then where are you going?"

Hm, in that case, should I wander around and do some side quests in the village...?

But this seemed just as impossible. I didn't know how the rumors spread, but it was obvious that all the civilians were terrified of me.

There's no way anyone would entrust me with a job in this situation. The Adventurer's Guild, which would normally take quests on my behalf, had also ceased operations because all of its members had died.

The Temple is also hostile toward me, so they probably won't order me to do anything. And I can't exactly leave these guys—the trio—behind and return to Zakrati, either.

"Sir?"

What am I even doing.

"... I told you not to follow me."

"I will consider it if you tell me where you are going."

"..."

If DeB wasn't here, I would at least find a suitable corner and hide. Or swing a sword and test out the skills I newly acquired this time... Ah?

Ah, my sword disappeared, didn't it? I need to get a new sword??

"... I am going to get a sword."

I didn't know if a market would be set up in this situation. But since I have time to spare anyway, doing a bit of legwork is nothing.

With that thought, I opened my inventory to check my funds. The weapons here had a high price range regardless of their stats, so I had to check beforehand.

The inventory window popped up with a DING.

[True Two-hander of Destruction]

[Eyepatch]

[Cracked ???]

But why are you in there.

Instead of looking at where my funds would be listed, I discovered the items existing above it. It wasn't a grid but a structure that took up slots according to volume, so I couldn't ignore it either.

"Ah, right. You would need to get a new sword. But was there a place that sold weapons...?"

DeB was saying something next to me, but it didn't enter my ears.

Anyway, I had no clue why the sword that had disappeared was here, what the eyepatch was doing here, or how the marble given to me by the dragon got cracked. It only made my head throb.

"There is a place where they've gathered the weapons collected from the pirates, but would taking one temporarily from there be a bad idea?"

But then, wait. I finally felt a sense of incongruity. It was so trivial, and since my field of vision hadn't changed, I hadn't realized it, but the sensation of something covering my right eye was gone.

"Sir?"

I reflexively raised my hand and touched around my eye. The eyepatch that should have been covering my right eye was missing.

It wasn't in my inventory for no reason.

"Did some kind of problem arise by any chance..."

Just when did I take off the eyepatch again... No, wait. Is taking off a single eyepatch a big deal. The sword being in my inventory is a hundred times better than losing it, too.

This was mild in comparison. With that single phrase, I blew away all my worries. If it was a problem that I wouldn't get an answer to no matter how much I thought about it, it was better for my peace of mind to just accept it with a humble attitude.

"Sir Knight, if a problem has occurred, you must tell me...!"

Instead—though I don't know if I can call this an 'instead'—I put my hand into my inventory.

As my fingers reached into the bag and grabbed the empty air, a thin piece of leather was the first thing to be pulled out.

"... Huh?"

I roughly slipped on the eyepatch so that its strap wouldn't catch on my ear. My field of vision remained the same, but its stable fit lightly pressed down on my right eye. I finally felt complete.

SHK.

"...!"

However, I didn't stop there and even pulled out the True Two-hander. The silver blade glinted brightly in the sunlight.

"W-Why did that come out of your bag...?"

Who knows. It wasn't listed in the options, but the sword might have had an automatic retrieval function attached to it. It was a pre-order bonus, after all.

Regardless, a good thing is a good thing. But that didn't mean the need to buy a sword was completely gone, either.

I quickened my pace again after having practically stopped. Besides the Two-hander, I needed a longsword that I could use lightly.

"Where is the place where they gathered the pirates' weapons."

"Y-Yes? Ah... it's by the castle walls. Shall I guide you there?"

Why are you asking. Guide me right now.

"Then, this way..."

DeB, noticing my gaze, took the lead. He looked somewhat dumbfounded, but he did his job very steadily.

Before long, the castle walls began to come into view.

"Oh, Sir Demon Knight?"

However, the moment we approached the castle walls, the first thing I saw wasn't weapons, but other people who recognized me.

Their faces looked somewhat familiar, so they didn't seem like strangers... Ah! I remembered. They were the adventurers who had acted together with me right up until we split into the main force and the detachment.

I didn't know how they ended up here, but it was strangely nice to see them.

"We haven't seen you for a while, but we're finally seeing your face now!"

"Where are you going—ah. Are you heading outside?"

On the other hand, it seemed they didn't know what I had done or why I hadn't been able to engage in public activities.

Leaving the clingy adventurers behind, I approached the castle gates a bit more. I couldn't help it since I saw the pile of weapons stacked over there.

"Hey, halt!"

And I was blocked. It was the Temple people.

One person had a face mixed with hostility and fear, as if he knew me, while the other only showed hostility, as if he had only heard of me by word of mouth.

"You can't go out!"

No, I wasn't trying to go out; I was trying to grab a weapon.

"He has no intention of going out, so please lower your weapons. We just want the leftover weapons..."

"Weapons? If it's something like that, then we definitely can't give you any!"

Hm. I guess not...

"Wait, he already has a weapon on his back!"

"Just who gave him—!"

Even though DeB stepped up to mediate, they didn't withdraw their hostility toward me. I understood why, so I didn't feel anything in particular about it, but it couldn't be helped that I was a bit disappointed.

And here I thought I was getting a free weapon.

"A mere demon..."

Just then, someone muttered that toward me. It was the setting that there was a demon in my right arm, so they weren't wrong.

"..."

They weren't wrong, but it's not like I shouldn't get overly immersed in it, either! Haha!

I softly gripped my right arm and pressed down on it. Deathbringer, who was mediating between the Temple and me, didn't know what to do.

"O-Outside! A horde of demons!"

"What?!"

"Ready arrows!"

"Wh-What is it!"

However, my acting couldn't help but be interrupted the very next moment. The people observing the outside from the top of the castle walls freaked out and started screaming.

"...!"

At the same time, my senses also caught a presence beyond the castle walls. It was fast. And clear.

The bastard was currently charging in a straight line toward the castle gates.

"Step back!"

"Sir?!"

[A target harboring hostility exists within a 30m radius.]

Words are too slow.

I burst forward, certain of that. Since the Temple people had their spears aimed, a part of my body got scratched, but it wasn't a major injury.

"Demons, just what—."

"Block the gate, you idiot!"

"The demons are coming!"

"Fire!"

I threw the guys who were right in front of the castle gates backward. At the exact same time, the castle gates shattered to pieces as something lunged in.

An intense impact struck my mana-clad body.

"Keuk!"

A groan naturally flowed through my teeth. However, if I get pushed back like this, there would be no point in having gone out of my way to throw those people backward.

I planted my sliding feet into the ground and drew mana into my hand. The mana, which was drawn in without even my realization, twisted into a spiral shape and ultimately burst forcefully through my palm.

CRASH!

Was it a feeling of something draining away, somewhat empty yet refreshing? I saw a massive black energy erupting from the hand that shot out the shockwave, and that energy swept away everything in front of me.

The demon that had pounced on me was left with a hole about a meter in diameter, with most of its body having been annihilated.

"... This is crazy."

No kidding, it really is crazy.

I looked at the demon, which had a gaping hole as if I had blasted it with a beam, and the area in front of me before suddenly snapping back to reality.

It's not over yet. The bastard I just killed was merely the vanguard meant to break the castle gates; the real ones were behind it.

"Do not follow me."

"... Even I know my place."

My chest hurt like a rib was broken, but it wasn't to the point where I couldn't move. Therefore, I drew the sword from my back without showing it.

[❖ The Fangs Aiming at Zakrati

∎ Liberate Montata Island's cities 0 / 2

∎ Optional: Eliminate demons 0 / ?

∎ Optional: Help rebuild the city 0 / ?]

At that moment, the long-standing quest updated, slowly signaling its final stages.

Seeing as I had already defeated the final boss of the region, this would be the last main quest left to do in this region.

To think defeating the boss came before reclaiming the city. The order seemed a bit mixed up, but whatever.

"Instead, sir, please just answer me this one thing."

Listening to DeB's words, I gripped my sword properly.

"Should I go bring that Archmage over?"

I didn't know the exact cause, but the vastly multiplied mana densely condensed around the Two-hander. Perhaps it was because of the newly acquired Mana Control skill, but handling mana was somehow comfortable.

"No need."

A narrower, more precise sword strike slashed the world askew.

"Clearing the path to the next city will be for tomorrow."