◈Episode 121 If you can leave (3)
“You can’t go because Jatav is blocking the street?”
“okay. “It’s Chief Bigabol’s secret weapon, and it’s a black snake. It’s poisonous, but in any case, if you want to go to Bigabol’s territory, I think you’ll have to fight Jatab.”
“I am confident in fighting Berserk.”
“You can fight, but you can’t fight in our magic tower, right? “I was finally able to get ingredients from the Great Forest, but if I fight, the road will be blocked again!”
“Then what should I do?”
“What should I do? We have to negotiate. There is a high probability that they will not accept it, but…”
“If I do, joining the two of you will mean…”
“I’m sorry, I’m a warrior. “I think we’ll have to postpone it for a few days.”
“Ah…”
* * *
We arrived at Bigabol’s territory.
【How did you guys….】
Return without any trouble, receive valuable treatment, and then meet the Sangun? I was prepared, but it still happened.
【How can you guys do this!】
【Shut up! I definitely warned you multiple times, Atart. You’re the one who didn’t listen!】
【Taposhaka! Sammar!!]
As expected, a rebellion broke out and took control of the village.
“You… are you okay? “Your expression is young.”
For reference, the suppression itself was not very difficult. This is because there were still some forces that followed Atart, and not all residents participated in the civil war.
However, it’s not like there are incredibly talented people over there. Since it was a fight over ideologies, it felt uncomfortable, so even though we fought without weapons, we were pushed back.
【Uuuuuung.】
【It’s too noisy, so shut up!】
But the real incident occurred at the end.
As the rebellion was on the verge of failure, rebels kidnapped five or six-year-old babies from civilians and took them hostage.
It was only natural that my eyes, which had been careful to avoid the deaths of civilians, were turned upside down.
Why do I forgive children who would have grown into adults thanks to the care and protection of their cancer parents? They forgot their childhood and held them hostage. These crazy bastards. Bastards.
“I ask.”
When it comes to maintaining tradition or anything else, all the arguments and justifications they put forward have lost their power.
With that clearly in mind, I grabbed the hilt of the sword. In front of me are rebels who have occupied the inner city and are taking hostages as a last act of defiance.
“Can I kill those bastards?”
The leader of the rebels is holding a child hostage, and the remaining children are kneeling on one side of the wall along with one of the rebel leaders. Being tied up with a rope is a bonus.
“…you.”
The Archmage called me seriously, but I ignored him.
Instead, I focused my eyes on the person holding the child.
Since there are six arms, it would be impossible to cut off all six without harming the child, and since the child is held with the top of the head touching the chin, it would be difficult to cut off the child’s neck.
Even if they attack that guy, the safety of other children is a problem. You should think about the next move in advance.
“You can kill me. “It would be nice if you could just leave the head, but I would be grateful even if you didn’t.”
When I just found the answer with such great care and caution. Atart gave a definitive answer. That was enough.
“Tell it.”
“…?”
“Close your eyes.”
A pitch-black light appeared in the air and pierced between the eyes of the opponent.
bang!
At the same time, my body also kicked off the ground and rose up at once.
Clink.
At the same time as the transparent wall broke, the wooden wall of the inner room was destroyed and the body that had been stepped on stood in front of the falling corpse.
【Heung.】
The child fell into my arms. Suddenly, losing my chest protector felt like good news for now.
【What~】
After that, I don’t know. He turned his body towards the other children and swung his sword at the same time. Most of the children had their eyes closed, probably because Atart had told them to do so.
It was fortunate.
Suddenly!
The flesh was cut sharply and blood poured out.
【Huh.】
In that moment, my chest became wet with snot and tears.
That was better. Rubbing your face against your chest means your vision is blocked, and blocked vision means you can’t see your surroundings.
Hilarious.
I corrected the child, making sure his eyes weren’t peeking over his shoulder, and checked for survivors.
Is this because children are smaller than adults and swing their swords considering that their heads are in a lower position because they are kneeling?
The only ones caught up in the raids are not even humans, but cubs. The children were only covered in blood and had no injuries.
At least the plan to save them without physical harm succeeded.
“Keep your eyes closed.”
I know this won’t make sense, but I hope you understand the nuance, guys.
With that intention, I gave a vain warning and lowered the child on my chest to the hostage group.
Then I looked around at the people who were shaking in disbelief at what had happened.
We have secured the safety of the children taken hostage. Now all we have to do is suppress them.
【The children have been rescued! Go inside!】
【It would be better to move the children here first, Chief. Because he will be able to move.】
[I see. That would be better!】
When I turned the tide, the suppression that had been blocked for a while got back on track.
Due to the Archmage’s magic, the barrier—which I had hurriedly struck again after destroying earlier—and the blocked door were shattered and warriors rushed in.
【Taposhaka… Sammar….】
Among them was Atart. He climbed up the castle wall to take over the children and was silent for a moment. At the end of his gaze, there is a man’s body with a hole between his eyes and a woman’s body located a little distance away.
The gaze, a mixture of affection and anger, ended with the eyelids lowering. I don’t know what kind of relationship they have with each other, but I know that it’s not an ordinary relationship.
“I’ll take charge now.”
Well, what happens is none of my business.
I left the child with Atart and the Archmage who was attached to ensure safety during casting and left.
thud.
The body landed under the castle wall and moved forward, creating a slight dust storm.
【…Most of them are subdued alive. Is it out of consideration for the execution that will take place later?】
【That may not necessarily be the reason…】
I beat up the rebels who resisted to the end and rushed into the building where the priest was. The rebel fighters are still standing, but that’s left to the Bigabol warriors.
I knew well that I should not give the priests (wizards) time.
[The maze is almost complete! If you do this, you won’t be able to come in!】
And then I ran across the building and kicked the door where I heard the voice.
bang!
【Okay, complete—?!】
【What!】
【You came in so quickly?】
【This dirty stranger…!!】
I don’t know what he was doing. When I see his red face crumpled, I feel like swearing. Since I don’t know the meaning, the impact is zero.
【Oh, quickly take the children hostage─.】
Even though the shouting was loud, I grabbed them.
Violence may be a stopgap measure, but it cannot be the real answer, and I do not believe that violence can change people, but it was inevitable.
They couldn’t take the kids hostage, so they tried to take the kids they had kept inside as spares hostage. They were exactly the same as the guys outside who were playing with each other.
“I hope you realize how precious the humanity you gave up is.”
You bastards with this nursing care. Consider yourself lucky that the kids are in front of you. I held back because it was in front of the kids.
“If you do this, you will have no choice but to bite your tongue and die in shame.”
They are truly human trash….
【A person with no arms…】
【I guess a monster has come to catch us….】
【Huh. Mom.】
I took a deep breath, listening to the tinnitus in the silence.
Perhaps because my expression was so dirty, the children cried loudly while looking at me.
The anger that had surged was crushed by embarrassment.
“…don’t cry.”
I left the humans with broken limbs alone and approached the crying children first.
Maybe I was scared, but it hurt a little to twist my body this way and that when I touched it… But even if I were like that, I would have been scared if an adult man who was blindly fanning adults—dressed in dark clothes and big in size—approached me.
Aside from the fact that what I knocked on was a kidnapper, there is a sense of threat that comes from visual information. I don’t even think they are old enough to make judgments considering the context.
【Huh. 】
【Aaaaa!!】
【Daddy!!】
But I can’t help but feel like my ears are bleeding. Rather than tearing up the rope made of vines, I decided to take special measures.
“Look at this.”
【Sniff.】
【…Pretty.】
I apologize to the adventurers who criticized me for giving them malicious inventory. You had foresight.
I took out some really useless and worthless but pretty and shiny things from Tatara’s gift bag.
Octagonal ornaments reminiscent of Korean mother-of-pearl, knot decorations made with five-colored thread, small bells, wooden carved dolls with colored parts, bracelets made of low-grade crystals, etc.
Things that are pretty to my adult eyes must look amazing to these kids. The children immediately lost their attention.
Wood clatter.
Right now. While the children were whimpering, I tore apart the rope made of vines.
Although it was a lot of work, there was a lot of work to be done as the children were tied up individually and grouped together again. The fact that they were tied tightly enough to leave rope marks on their skin was a bonus.
See you when you motherfuckers leave.
【Behind the back.】
Huh? I exhaled as I saw the child who had just been released look behind me.
Pow!
【Quick!】
Even if the child didn’t tell me, I noticed it early because of the limp sound… but it’s so disgusting. With this kind of persistence, why not have a reverse trial with the chief instead of rebelling?
I punched the person who tripped me in the face. Since I hit him without using magical power, he probably wouldn’t have died.
My nose bone was probably shattered, but my nose was twisted and my nose was bleeding.
“Okay.”
Rather, why aren’t Atart’s warriors coming? Are you subcontracting it to me and playing around with it?
I decided to take the children out after letting them all play with all the decorations. I said I had subdued them all, but I couldn’t leave them alone among the criminals.
“let’s go.”
Even though the languages used were different, the understanding was common. I carried the youngest child, who was fiddling with the knot decoration, in my left arm, and with the rest hanging from his head or legs, I went outside.
I put a sword in the inventory to make it easier for the kids to hang on to, so the weaponry became a bit sparse, but it was okay.
You can defeat a kidnapper with your bare hands.
“How did you get in there…?”
Then I ran into people coming in.
The Archmage looked at me with a subtle gaze, probably speechless at the sight of me leading the chicks out.
Leading the hostages outside wouldn’t be a caboose. As I said before, you can’t leave hostages or children in the same room as the kidnappers.
So I thought it would be okay to organize this… Isn’t it? What did I do wrong?
My head was spinning furiously over the Archmage’s reaction.
“…I knew you were generous with children, but uhm. Just hand it over to the warriors. “I don’t think it would be good for the children to be here.”
I was worried that I might get stabbed in the back later, but that part was welcome. I was going to get over it without even saying anything.
Even though I have someone else to hand it over to, it’s okay for me to keep taking it with me.
【you you! Take the children out!】
【Let’s go.】
【Thank you, Warrior Without Arms.】
【Hello, Warrior.】
【What are you holding instead?】
【That Warrior gave it to me.】
Big Ball Warriors quickly took the children and left. . In the process, I also took the child that was in my arms…
【Please hand it over to me.】
【Ugh.】
Sigh.
Baby, I’m thankful I didn’t pull out your hair, but the clothes and blindfold are a bit off.
The child’s strength was so strong that the button that held the eye patch in place popped off at the back, and the eye patch came off. My hand quickly covered my right eye.
【I don’t like it. I don’t want to go. Huh.】
【Aaagh!】
【Peeeein!!】
The child who was forcibly taken away from me was crying loudly and shaking the hand holding the blindfold. It doesn’t look like I’ll be able to let go of the clothes I’m holding easily.
【Then it won’t work. A good warrior does not cry over separation.】
【Now, why don’t you look at this?】
However, thanks to someone who finally appeared from behind and the Archmage’s desperate magic trick, the child’s gaze turned away for a split second.
The warriors took advantage of the opportunity to remove the child, took the eye patch, and gave it back to me.
【Aaaaa!!】
The baby is crying. Huh.
“【The sound of crying is loud. Hurry up and take him out. And I feel really sorry for you. The child was rude… 】 I apologize on behalf of the child for being rude. “Because I wasn’t properly educated.”
“…Not required.”
What is education? All kids that age are like that.
I quickly put on the returned eye patch and put my hand in my inventory. There must be one toy that I didn’t take out earlier.
“The priests set up a barrier to the maze, but you managed to get inside. It was a great decision to invite you. “As expected, he is a black snake warrior.”
Ah, I was wondering why he came home late and I wondered if there was something like that. Actually, I thought it was too late to come.
I just looked through my inventory, thinking about what to do. When I unpacked the bag, my inventory was filled with all kinds of things, so it was hard to find what I wanted.
Power came into my eyes.
“…If the children’s behavior offends you, give them a firm warning…”
What are you saying, you crazy person? What kind of warning is this for an obvious reaction? I need to huddle up with the kids and think about covering up the bad memories. Are you a money guy?
“I would have said it wasn’t necessary.”
I passed by Atart with a frown on my face.
“Keep your promises.”
My steps caught up with the warrior who was retreating, leaving behind the crying child.
【Huh huh huh.】
Tuk.
【Keuung.】
The hand that was raised for a moment dropped something into the arms of the child who had stopped crying due to exhaustion. A ball of colored yarn the size of a baseball rolled around in the child’s hand.
【Wow!】
【Huh?】
With this, the malicious inventory has been reduced by half. Oh yea.
* * *
The Archmage looked at the back of the person who gave the gift to the child in an indifferent manner.
Although it may not be a big deal, the child has stopped crying and is smiling broadly. Just like everyone who received help from the demon knight.
【…You’re more generous than you look.】
【Isn’t that right?】
I guess that’s why. I don’t know whether to say it was surprising or really typical of him.
Even though he is consistently hostile towards others, it is truly true that he becomes generous towards those who are most likely to be looked down upon – such as those who are injured or in danger of death, those who have lost many things and have to worry about their future, and children who are still young and need help. .
【He is a person who walks only the right path, although his behavior and manner of speaking are harsh and cause misunderstandings.】
It is difficult for such a strong person to become weak to the weak.
【He is such a rare person in this day and age.】
As expected, the Demon Knight is a good person. It would be a waste to hang a bomb on his heart to kill himself… He is a truly precious person.
【Of course, I wish they would correct the fact that they don’t spare themselves because they are just walking around.】
Therefore, the demon knight had to live a better life.
He should have enjoyed a life of rest and happiness, without having to carry a suicide bomb or risk his own death.
He did it anyway. Even if you don’t think so.
【Hmm.】
The Archmage saw the young man walking away with a happy face.
【Well… he’s a great person.】
That’s why she couldn’t see him.
【So just.】
Atart smiled coldly.