Episode 175 Not yet (3)
“There are wizards gathered here, so please wait a moment.”
As soon as the two minor lords entered the castle, they headed to one side.
At the end was a place that was believed to be a warehouse… and it was full of wizards. Across from the wizards was an unidentifiable white hill with many unknown magic circles engraved on the floor.
I don’t know what the situation is.
“Pay attention for a moment. “I have something I would like to ask you, but—.”
“huh? What, you are the Lord of Soseong… Wow! Demon Knight!”
“what? A demon knight!?”
“Owner of the corpse?!”
But why are they like that? Are you starting to develop a passion for using me as an experiment?
“Calm down for a moment—!”
“Devil knight niiiiim!”
“Woah!”
I wonder why Leon So Seong-ju, who has a calm expression, is so broken today. And why do wizards do that again? While thinking about this, I waved my hand slightly.
The magical spear that appeared in the air was stuck right in front of me like a fence. The wizards managed to stop in front of him.
“If you cross it, I will kill you.”
The wizards, who had stopped screechingly, lined up neatly and at an appropriate distance. Their unity was truly like that of a well-trained soldier.
“He’s a devil knight!! “Please share some of the Biryu Lake body!”
“no! I have no intention of shamelessly getting it for free! “I will pay a fair price, so hand it over to me!”
“Demon Knight!!!”
“Knight!!”
Of course, as soon as the distance was widened, the group monologue began again. Now that there is a safe distance, it has become easier to understand what is being said.
So now I know that their interest is not mine. That was fortunate. It was fortunate.
Why are you looking for Biryuho’s body from me?
I looked at the two Soseongju without realizing it.
“Ah, have you not received the delivery yet?”
Coincidentally, Lord Ednium was just being lifted up by Lord Camburgh, who had kicked away the wizards and thrown them into the princess’ arms.
“It cannot be helped that it was taken away by the devil, but the remaining body of the Biryuho belongs solely to the devil knight.”
Ednium Soseongju’s face was bright red, but he answered very faithfully. Thanks to you, I now understand the situation. Although the feeling of trembling did not completely go away.
After all, wasn’t the Biryu Lake Songpa all stolen by intruders?
And if you have any left, why give it to me? Considering the stake in the raid, aren’t there more people who should have it?
“Everyone who participated in the subjugation gave up their rights because they were not qualified. So, all the credit went to the greatest demon knight.”
If I’m lucky, it’s that the owner of Camburgh is a very perceptive person. If it weren’t for her, I would have just guessed.
“For your information, the body is over there, and thanks to the magic the Archmage himself placed on it, no one other than the Demon Knight can get inside.”
For some reason, the seemingly insignificant warehouse was filled with wizards. It was all because of Biryuho’s body.
“Hehehe, please, just one hair!”
“Kisaniiyim!!”
Aside from that, the Archmage is a very wise person.
It’s a magic that prevents anyone but me from accessing it. If it hadn’t been done, Biryuho’s corpse would have been stripped naked, hair by hair, by now.
Chiiik!
Well, even if it had happened, it wouldn’t have meant much.
“So hands!”
“Are you okay?”
I glanced at the half-palm gloves that were dented by the heat and the area on the palms that they did not cover.
Without fail, burn marks were left behind. It was also proof that I could never use this.
It looks like the temple has been completely purified again… Of course, I could use it if I artificially corrupted it, but I don’t feel the need to do so.
After all, most of it is flesh and internal organs, so what meaning is there? I am not a chef or an alchemist who eats monsters.
There are also bones and skin, but… I don’t know. If you’re going to make a weapon out of bone, you have to carve the whole bone to use it. But will a bone large enough to make a long sword come from that?
Also, what about leather? The only thing that can be made from leather is clothing.
And as for the clothes… let alone whether the white tiger leather clothes fit the concept, they are torn and worn out so often that they are meaningless.
This is true even if you just look at the experiences we have had so far. I often buy clothes to avoid being a single-wear gentleman, but I haven’t been able to go for a week except for pajamas.
I don’t think this will be much different. I don’t know if it’s a small mob, but I think the bosses will tear this up easily.
Besides the bosses, I don’t have much to deal with. This is true even if you look at the record. Other than the boss, I’ve only been seriously injured twice so far—at the Tatara sewer and at the waterfall in the Great Forest.
It’s a bit unfair that I didn’t get another item after all the hard work I’ve put in… but now I wonder what the point is.
“Where is the valuable part?”
Actually it is, right? Nothing meaningful would change if I changed the equipment.
“yes?”
“First of all, the claws and the tail…”
So there is only one conclusion I can draw.
Panda. Since my wallet is getting really tight, I need to make up for it with something like this.
Suddenly!
Of course, first pay the proper price to the owners of Soseong.
“omg!”
“Destroyed.”
I cut off the front paw with the sword I always carry with me. I don’t know how much this will cost, but I believe it will be at least a million dollars.
“It’s a price.”
“…!”
My hand hurled a paw towards Camburgh Cattle Lord. It was an act of forgetting that she was holding a bottle of Ednium.
So the next moment, I thought, Oops…
BOOM!
“100 million!”
“Wow!”
Without hesitation, the Camburgh Little Lord threw the Ednium Little Castle to the wizards and received the tiger’s paw.
Like the front paws of a huge tiger, she was almost entirely covered.
“…Is it okay to take this?”
“I don’t go into debt. “Do your part.”
If you look closely, the person who connects me with the lord of Bergart Castle is Ednium… they are lovers anyway. It’s a relationship where you go to save someone even though you know their life will be in danger, so I’m sure it won’t turn out like this.
“I will never forget this grace.”
“Not required.”
And… in the first place, it wasn’t just the Lord of Seong’s brokerage fee. There are still victims left, so it also means using it as a subsidy. It won’t be worth that much.
…Still, I can’t give it all. Because now I have some use too. Helping others should be done after taking care of your own concerns. yes?
“Oh, that’s right. There you guys. “I have a favor to ask of you.”
All told, So Seong-ju did the right thing that brought me here. It wasn’t that difficult.
The moment she waved her tiger paw and said, “Someone who can help me contact other cities,” volunteers lined up.
It is an aside that Edniam So Seong-ju became in tears after being abandoned by his lover.
* * *
“That sari… sari?”
Meanwhile, by moving forward a little in time, the demon knight was just moving to the castle warehouse with the two minor castle lords.
Deathbringer went to the devil knight’s room, holding in his arms the long sword he had prepared as an apology and gift—since the devil knight had just broken the sword again. It was a long sword that the Archmage donated money and the Inquisitor and Berserk chose with great insight.
“Why is there a presence…”
But for some reason, I can’t feel any presence inside the room. It was quite embarrassing.
“Am I coming in?”
The fact that there was no sign of me filled me with all kinds of thoughts. Deathbringer hurriedly opened the door and entered.
“It’s gone….”
The blanket that was attached to the pillow was disheveled and the clothes were missing from the hanger. A sight that seemed as if the owner had left unfolded before his eyes.
“Archmage!”
He headed to the restaurant right away. I was wondering if it was there by any chance.
“…The devil knight has disappeared!?”
But it wasn’t here. Following the Deathbringer, the Archmage also darkened. If someone woke up after 11 days and disappeared without saying a word, anyone would have no choice but to do the same.
Moreover, the demon knight these days….
“Have you been to the bathroom? “He… doesn’t quite like washing up.”
“Oh, I haven’t been there yet. “If it’s definitely there…”
The Archmage thought of a man who had become less talkative after the battle to subjugate the great evil Moby Dick.
I wasn’t really a person who talked a lot, but I still had feelings.
Just as there is simply a great distance between one thing and another.
“Ah, Archmage. I already found it… Huh? “If you were that driver, he would have finished taking a bath a long time ago.”
However, to focus on that point, finding the missing person is the priority. The Archmage and Deathbringer lowered their heads at the words of the priest who was cleaning the bathroom.
The guess was correct, but it was too late.
“yes. “I am Archmage.”
“I don’t know if it’s okay to say this, but I think it would be better to say it.”
“Something?”
“There was a light trace of blood on the towel the Demon Knight used. If the wound has healed…”
“…Thank you for telling me.”
Moreover, instead of finding out my next move, I only became more worried. They trudged down that hallway.
“…Do you really find me annoying, Nari?”
“Is there any reason for him to be upset with you?”
“Because I made a contract with the devil…”
“It was a temporary contract, but I was forced to do it. Above all, isn’t that completely resolved now? Restrictions have been completely lifted.”
“That’s true, but… you haven’t heard that yet. “Even before you caught Biryuho, you avoided talking to me.”
The Archmage paused for a moment at the Deathbringer’s words. This is because it is true that the Demon Knight sent for six days to find the Biryuho before its subjugation conspicuously avoided the Deathbringer.
Is that it? If you think back on the number of times she and the Inquisitor have interacted with demon knights, you can count them on five fingers.
This is really strange. No matter how quiet the Demon Knight was, he tended to listen to the Archmage’s words.
“…I guess I was just confused at the time.”
But you can’t reveal that. The Archmage put on a benevolent expression while lamenting why more and more conflict was building up instead of bonding.
“Isn’t it rare for values to change easily?”
“….”
“Rather, I think you should focus more on keeping you alive despite being so confused, rather than on his avoiding conversation with you.”
“…!”
“You know, right? “If he really thought you were worthless, he would have cut you down with a single knife.”
“…That’s right. “He always says he will leave me behind if he gets in my way, but in reality he never once…”
“He is a person who doesn’t know much about emotions, has never had a chance to learn, and doesn’t even want to know for himself.”
Fortunately, the young man’s misunderstanding was something she could resolve. The Archmage quietly expressed what she had been feeling.
“If the goal is to face the devil alone until the moment of death, what value do emotions have to him? All you have to do is forge and forge anger and hatred towards the devil.”
“Yes.”
“That’s why he can’t be honest. Maybe he himself doesn’t know his own feelings. “Because you’ve never experienced it or learned anything about it.”
“….”
“So don’t take it to heart too much. Ultimately, both hate and reluctance are emotions that come from being conscious of it. “What’s really scary is indifference.”
“…Is that a story about Master Dharma’s experience?”
“It’s similar.”
She saw the priest running towards her, who had said he would come to tell her when he found out the whereabouts of the demon knight.
“In my case, it was love.”
* * *
“At the risk of being rude, I received a reply asking if I could give you 30 minutes if the conversation does not need to be met right away.”
“will wait.”
“yes.”
Based on my experience so far, the possibility of starting today is infinitely close to zero. So it doesn’t really matter how long it takes.
So, I closed my eyes with a heavy-lipped, talented wizard in front of me. Has it become a situation that can no longer be avoided?
My complicated mind went away, and the things I wanted to ask calmly came to mind.
When was the first time I saw him? What does it mean that his mysterious whereabouts are full of questions and speculation? When was the moment when I first became aware of the existence of the Demon Knight?
What was the demon knight I saw in the past like?
I really had a lot of questions to ask.
“You’re connected!”
“I will talk first.”
And finally, contact followed. As it was called by the name of Soseongju, it was Ednium Soseongju who came first.
─Hey, Ednium Soseongju. I heard that you were rescued safely. It’s Ednium’s Hongbok.
“Thank you, Lord Bergart.”
─But the sudden contact…? Do you need any help?
“Help… I have a request that is too vague to be called.”
He coherently explained that he had asked me to arrange a table for him.
Is it because I am the hero’s companion, or is it because of what I have accomplished, or is it because of the demon knight’s past actions?
Lord Bergart readily accepted the conversation.
“Then I’ll just leave.”
So Seong-ju, who expected a heavy story to come out, hurriedly left the place.
─It’s official. This is Julian, the lord of Bergart. Actually, I was hoping for a chance to have a proper conversation, but I never thought he would ask me first. It’s an honor.
To put it bluntly, Lord Bergart was not very formal, as was his natural personality.
Rather, it was good. This way it would be easier to get what I wanted.
─So… why did you ask to talk to me?
“I have something to ask you.”
I whispered, chewing each word as if sighing or screaming.
“I want to hear in more detail what was said at the meeting.”
─Uh… that’s all? You know it yourself.
“I have no memory of that time.”
─Oh…
I thought about asking around, pretending to remember, but the information I can get from that is limited. So I decided to change direction a little.
The information I would gain from this was more valuable to me than the risk of breaking the concept.
─The reason is….
“I don’t think it’s a question that can be answered by talking about your personal history.”
─Is that so?
Bergart Castle lord Julian smiled awkwardly.
─But it’s really nothing. A devil appeared where we were going out for actual practice, and when the apprentice knights and instructors were dying from the devil, you appeared and beheaded the devil.
“What did I look like back then?”
─What does it look like?
Since the structure only transmits voices, the other person’s appearance cannot be seen, but I could feel Julian being a little embarrassed.
─It’s not something I would say in front of that person, but… honestly, it was a bit like that, right?
“exactly.”
─Yes, he seemed a bit crazy. His long hair is scattered, and his face is barely visible as it is obscured by his clothes and hair, and his entire body is soaked with blood and stained dirty, but the crucial thing is that pitch-black magical power is flowing through his entire body – overflowing and burning like a flame…
“What were the clothes like?” ji.”
─Clothes…? I don’t really remember… For your information, it’s not because I’m stupid, it’s because I’m covering most of my body with a dirty and tattered cloak. The distance was too far.
“Did you not see the inside at all?”
─…Hmmmm. Oh, it looks like the leather armor that adventurers commonly wear… now that I think about it.
At the same time, I was also embarrassed.
The past appearance of the Demon Knight described by Julian was quite similar to the appearance of the official Demon Knight.
So, it wasn’t a custom look I had, but a look given by the formula. Long unkempt hair, a shabby cloak, leather armor, etc.
“…Did you see the color of the hair?”
─Hair color? well? As I said before, the distance was too far… wouldn’t it be the same as now? Unless you use dye.
“Conversation.”
─I guess I couldn’t do it. After beheading the demon with a single sword, he went on his way, ignoring our cries. He didn’t even show his face at the honorary investiture ceremony. Don’t you remember this either?
I just wondered if they would have been wearing the same equipment back then as they do now. This is a question I asked, but I never thought I would get an answer like this.
“…When was that?”
─Yep. I won’t ask. Did you ask when?
However, apart from my complicated mind, questions still remain.
I asked when it happened.
I had in mind that the Devil Knight existed even before I started playing the game, as the reputation of the Devil Knight had been spreading even before I was active, but… how many years it has been is quite important information.
Anyway, that way I can be sure when I lost my memory and know the scope of the investigation.
─Because my father passed away that year… It was two years ago. Yes, two years ago.
But it wasn’t as old as I thought. It was only two years ago.
…The Devil Knight in the official setting would have been active under the name Devil Knight for at least 5 years, right?
My head became confused.