◈Episode 130 That’s enough (5)
Judging by the lack of reaction so far, it looks like there’s no need to worry about insanity. At this point, I guess I’ll just have to keep bickering with Dev.
In the end, I threw the dagger into the riverbed and threw Dev into the river with my free hands.
It was a bonus that Dev, who hates water, came to the riverside while screaming and flapping. My body was wet with water.
“Ugh, it’s cold.”
Are you the only one who is cold? Me too… It’s not cold at all, but I got wet because of you.
Above all, this is something you started, so stick with it, you cute meat dumpling.
I glared at him and placed my hand on his hair. As the guy struggled, he splashed so much water that his head went limp.
I can’t let it grow slowly and block my vision. I brushed my hair.
Drumming.
Meanwhile, Dev came out of the water, took off his hood, and shook his body wildly. It’s a bonus to shake off the hood and hold the tail like a laundry bag. It’s kind of funny.
“Anyway, you really put people off…”
Are you still obsessed with that? It’s a misunderstanding.
“…don’t do it again.”
Still, I can’t help but feel glad to be worried. I turned my head to see the meat dumpling whispering loudly.
Instead of getting angry, it’s just a gesture of not wanting to get into a conversation. This is probably the most moderate reaction the concept could receive.
“And this. Please take it.”
But Dev suggested something. It was a crude ring seal.
“If you’re worried about a runaway… I have this.”
ah. Considering that the White Wind joined in earlier, I don’t think it’s particularly strange that Dev has it.
I looked at what Dev had quietly held out and took it.
‘If I put this on, won’t the quest window stop again?’
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
‘If you put this on…’
If you put on the seal.
If you don’t get involved.
Will the broken system window come back?
Neither the tracking notification nor the window informing me of the progress of the quest have ever appeared after the seal was released.
Still, if I open the quest window or the world map.
Can you see it? Will what disappeared come back intact?
‘Let’s not get involved.’
If you don’t get involved, really.
“lily?”
Will I ever be relieved?
“Any problem…”
You’re laughing. Could that be possible?
I didn’t open the quest window. I didn’t even look at the world map.
Are they working properly and is it really that their failure was caused by the seal?
This is because I felt like if I knew something like that, I would truly be walking down a path of no return.
Honestly, right? I was already skeptical because I was well-versed in all kinds of clichés.
In the meantime, if you think about the system that knew what the seal was created to prevent and disappeared accordingly.
Aren’t you stupid for not noticing?
“good.”
Despite this, I chose to ignore it. I decided to cover it again.
No one wants to be convinced that the place they are treading is hell.
“right now.”
Instead, I opened the part that tightens the gauntlet. Dev, who had been hesitating in front of me, stomped his feet twice more and then left.
It was a good decision.
In my confusion, I quickly put on the seal and put on my clothes again. When I put on the seal, my magical power decreased and I felt a little better.
Cancer: My motto in life is to keep all possibilities open, but there is a line that even a country can tolerate.
However, if I do this, I can stop thinking about what I can’t handle for a while. I can hold on a little longer.
So that’s enough. That was enough….
[Wammaya. Do humans make things like that these days? That is truly amazing.]
Then, with a sound like a ship horn, the snake stuck its head out. It was a bit surprising that even if something that big moves, it doesn’t make a sound like a tree, let alone a tree falling.
[Is it possible for something small to suppress demonic energy?]
No… it didn’t deserve to fall. I looked closely at the snake’s body. The body, which was thought to be rising between the trees, was, strictly speaking, sticking out through the trees.
[But that. Why do you use it when you have something better? It looks like it will break easily.]
Well, if you’re that big, you need that kind of function to be able to survive without destroying the forest.
huh?
“…what did you say?”
[Hi! You must be angry. sorry. This guy’s snout…]
“I’m asking what’s better.”
Is there anything better than sealing balls?? Do I have something like that?? But why don’t I know??
[Uh… didn’t you know?]
“I don’t ask twice.”
[Wammaya….]
The snake raised its tail stiffly, like a person raising both hands, and immediately scratched its head.
[You have it, right? An object that exudes the smell of the sea.]
“…Sea?”
I quickly looked through the list of things I had. Sea-related Sea-related… A bead given by a sea dragon?
Items made from sea dragons are excluded as they are available to two dumplings. Other than that, the only sea-related items are the beads given by the sea dragon.
“…Are you talking about this?”
I took out the cracked bead. Then the snake shook its head.
[Yes, yes. That’s correct. oh my. The power was leaking and it broke.]
…This has a similar effect to the sealing sphere?
[Wouldn’t someone who lives over there give it to you and tell you?]
They said they wouldn’t.
[I guess the reason you understood me in the first place was because of Gogo. hmm. Since I got it, I haven’t been able to feel the cold or heat when I go into the water. Didn’t you know that?]
The snake scratched its head some more, perhaps because it had vaguely recognized my expression or had read a reaction in my silence.
What he said this time was something I had no idea about.
I just thought that was what my game character was like, but maybe it was this item effect?
Was it just because of this that you were able to understand what was being said?
[I wonder if you took it away without giving me a chance to say it…]
“No.”
[Then why didn’t you tell me?]
While I was confused, the snake blinked its round eyes and lowered its tail.
[Anyway, that’s kind of um. Condensed power? blessing? It’s the same thing. So I have it, and it helps a little bit… The fundamental energy has the property of basically purifying negativity.] The
lowered tail pointed at the bead I was holding.
[It’s broken now, so the purification effect may have been a little less… But didn’t the blessing work well? That’s because the temperament of the energy itself is like that.]
…It worked well. Since receiving this, I have never suffered from the cold even when I fell into the water, and I have lived comfortably even in the desert without feeling too hot.
I looked down at the marble with indescribable eyes. I couldn’t quite believe that what I thought was a burden was actually a part of my comfort.
“…Is there any way to fix this?”
Separately, I also had a desire to fix this. Are you saying I’m losing strength? If you keep leaving it in a broken state, won’t it eventually run out of power and become unusable? I can never tolerate something like that.
Also… if there is a purification function, wouldn’t it be helpful if I fill up the madness gauge in a rage state during normal times?
Considering that I went into a state of madness without stopping last time, it may not have any effect. Actually, I’m not even sure when this broke.
[If it’s normal, it won’t work out, but there’s nothing that won’t work out because I’m there. Give it to me. I will fix it.]
Fortunately, the snake had a way to fix it. Beyond that, they even offered to repair it for free.
I don’t know why this snake was so nice to me, but it was a good thing.
I put the bead down on the snake’s tail. The snake cleverly wrapped its tail around and collected it.
[Now that I am fixing this, I will give you some guidance and protection. It’s not anything special, but the ability to suppress demonic energy is slightly stronger, and when you grow plants, they won’t die and will grow well.]
Meanwhile, additional functions were added. It was a special, but useless blessing. I wish I could get the real me, not that concept.
If it comes to me, the succulent dies too.
[Also, even if you get lost in the forest, you will be able to get out of the forest. It’s not going to take you to your desired destination, so you’d better be careful.]
The snake wrapped its tail around the bead and rubbed it a few times before lowering its tail again. The bead, which had returned to its original state and was even more beautiful than before, fell into my palm.
[Oh, and just because it purifies negativity doesn’t mean it can. If it’s exposed to too much demonic energy, it will break like it does now. You need to be careful about that too.]
Oh. It’s fixed.
I turned it around and looked up at the snake again. After listening to the added explanation, I think I can roughly understand why this was broken.
Maybe that’s when I went crazy. It’s not that it didn’t help me, it’s just that it was broken at that time and it was no longer effective.
“….”
Well, it’s not that important. There is no way for me to find out exactly by looking back.
Just have to be careful in the future.
“you.”
Rather, what is important now is why the snake in front of me looks at me so favorably.
Considering what I said about the forest being destroyed if something goes wrong, are you doing this because you’re worried that I’m going to ruin this place?
I’m not that kind of person… Of course, I dug a hole in the forest to suppress the steamboat, but…
Ah. That’s why.
I opened my mouth today, lamenting why I had created so many unintentional misunderstandings.
“Is it the devil?”
[Yes???]
It was a reaction that was understandable even without hearing the answer.
[Oh no. no. Anyway, such a misunderstanding! Are you feeling offended when you hear this?!]
“If you do it, you will eat magic power.”
[Oh, that’s it. That ah. What should I dig up? Ah… this is a bit of an explanation.]
Still, it’s better to make it clear. If you ask me later why I left him alone, don’t you need an excuse?
The Archmage hopes that I won’t bump into Sangun, but if I don’t, he’ll be the kind of person who will question me again.
[It is true that I was born with magical power transformed into demonic energy, and it is not true that I can eat magical energy and embrace demonic energy… Still, I am an intelligent creature and can think, but that is all I can do. That’s why you’ll become a devil.]
And… Considering that the Archmage has opened up about the possibility of coexistence, and that he is being polite and courteous now, there is a 99% chance that the outcome of this conversation will be positive.
This is a situation where there is no loss or incident caused by talking. Rather than create a hole and create something to raise suspicion, we just end up having a conversation.
[Not everyone who has acquired strange abilities is a devil. Really. That um. customer? You may have demonic energy, but you are not a devil, are you?]
Rustle.
…Conclusively, I just saw Dev’s ears and tail. Sigh. If you don’t talk here, you will definitely be suspicious. I’m going to be suspicious.
* * *
I know that the Demon Knight doesn’t like to show his arms. So I avoided the place, but that didn’t mean my anxiety went away.
In the end, when Deathbringer thought that the Demon Knight could wear the seal, he secretly went back. Seeing a snake called Sangun heading in that direction also added reason to his walking.
I had to keep an eye on that being to make sure it didn’t irritate the demon knight.
“…No.”
Guooooh.
But aside from the fact that the demon knight understood Sangun’s words, the atmosphere was very strange.
I can only hear one side of the conversation, and since that side isn’t the type to talk for long, it’s already difficult to understand what’s being said. In the midst of it all, the devil knight spoke in a dejected tone.
“It’s not the devil.”
Guooooh.
He touched his lips a few times with a shadow over his eyes. It came into focus a few times and then lost focus again.
It was similar to the time before when I was sitting on a rock and holding a knife to myself. He doesn’t seem to be seeing the present.
『There is no salvation at the end of revenge.』
Deathbringer suddenly looked back on what he had said.
There was nothing wrong. He has already experienced this, but taking revenge does not change anything.
The older the resentment, the more buried it becomes.
It’s good that the enemy is gone, but we don’t know what he will do after he’s gone.
No, it is doubtful whether all resentment disappears just because the enemy is dead in the first place. At least the hatred and anger he harbored did not disappear even though he had completed his revenge.
Wasn’t that why he became an executioner named Deathbringer in the first place?
Even though I avenged my dead friend, I was still angry inside. However, there is nothing more I can do with the revenge already completed.
But I ended up seeing so many people in this world who couldn’t even take revenge because they were powerless and poor.
I found a reason not to stop and became a revenge agent. I took up the sword using the never-ending hatred of others as my own hatred or the absurdity and irrationality of this world as my new enemy.
Just as the devil knight pledged to take revenge on the devil that will never be resolved.
“Unless you have demon energy but are not a demon.”
But…
“I am.”
Now Deathbringer’s heart was pounding strangely.
The moment the Demon Knight collapsed, strangely enough, the beliefs he had upheld were also shaken.
“What on earth am I going to become…”
Why? why?
Deathbringer looked at the demon knight again with his fist clenched in distaste.
“I decided to sacrifice the heads of all the demons in the world to your graves…”
Then a very subtle realization came to me.
『Kid, take a good look at him.』
『Yes?』
『And think about it. Is that what you want to become?』
『Skyla, what are you talking about….』
『Make your decision by seeing whether you really won’t regret it even if the rest of your life resembles that one’s. 』
That was his future.
『Look carefully to see if running even though you know you will fail will really make you happy.』 Just like
the Demon Knight wanted to kill all demons but was frustrated by variables and exceptions.
He who wants to punish all evildoers will also one day collapse due to the limitations of his variables and exceptional abilities.
Therefore.
“I wanted to offer my blood as a last offering…” I
hate to see you despair as you bear witness to my failure.
“What are you going to do to me?”
But I hope you stop abusing yourself even now.
There was no reason for someone like you to run to the cliff.