Episode 348: I will tell God (6)
“Is it true that the glacial ordeal has really begun?”
one of the warriors following her asked. His gaze is directed towards the mountains that have been turned pure white by the passing snowstorm.
“I do not know.”
“…Didn’t you say it was a glacial ordeal?”
“Have your earlobes frozen from the cold? I never said the glacial ordeal had begun. “I just said it was a possibility and it would be good to be prepared.”
Berserk’s eyes were also focused on the mountain. If there is a critical difference between the warrior’s perspective and her perspective, it is probably what they are pursuing.
Pooh-pooh-ooh.
“…One more trace was found.”
“Give me the signal.”
Then the signal I had been waiting for came.
Berserk narrowed his eyes and the experienced hunter leading the warriors gestured. The girl chasing the hunter put the horn she was carrying in her mouth.
Puuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
A signal rang out long into the air, announcing the survival of this group but noting that nothing had been discovered. Even if the snow eats and eats the sound, it was a sound that would reach beyond the mountains.
Puuuu—Puu—Puuu
“Daejeon Temple said they would go back, so what should we do now?”
“I’m not going down.”
“…It’s the fourth day?”
“so?”
Berserk touched his ringing ears a couple of times even though the reverberation had disappeared, and then shook his hands off. Gloves that had become damp as the snow melted began to freeze again, giving a truly uncomfortable feeling.
“It’s been more than twenty years since I left my hometown, but nothing has improved since then.”
But what was more unpleasant than those gloves was the space itself. Berserk was disgusted by the disgust welling up deep in his chest.
“On the contrary, I became weaker and more exhausted. “I am no longer worthy of being called a warrior.”
“…Great Warrior! No matter how much of a legendary warrior you are, that doesn’t mean that you are a Taoist—!”
“Is my evaluation unfair? Then take up arms.”
She got angry and pointed an ax at the person who came out. It looked like he was literally just aiming without taking the correct stance, but with that one movement, everyone stiffened.
Even though she was the one who turned her back on the tribe twenty years ago, the record she once set was enough to hold them back.
“Take up your weapons. Why don’t you lift it? “Isn’t it the virtue of a warrior to make someone pay for using his tongue as he pleases?”
Glacial ordeal. It is the dividing line between warriors and great warriors, and a life-or-death test that has devoured tens of thousands of warriors over the past hundreds of years.
In a place where even great warriors who had already overcome one ordeal risked their lives because they could not guarantee the next, Berserk set a record of twenty times. It is said that she overcame challenges that would have been difficult for twenty warriors to overcome at once alone twenty times.
“Is there really no one who can take up arms?”
So how can you be upset in front of such a legend?
The warriors who were talking about Berserk kept their mouths shut and lowered their heads. I had no idea that it would have made Berserk more irritated.
“under. They had the pride to be angry at insults, but they were just idiots who didn’t have the ability or spirit to back up their pride. Even further arguing is a waste. go away.”
Berserk, with his veins filled with bitterness and frustration, put the ax back. These things are also called warriors. My boiling inside is boiling even more with anger that I don’t know what is being directed at.
Shadowy Geum-an grasped the sack tightly.
“Wait a minute, Daejeon Temple. “Where are you going?”
“I would have definitely told you.”
She walked forward, trotting through the knee-deep snow.
“I will never go down the mountain until I find my sister.”
The words spoken as if they were being chewed are of a nature that will not give in to any adversity or hardship.
* * *
Even though we skipped a month and a half thanks to Suzaku Taxi, the end of the world is still far away.
“Is this Klevech?”
“…I didn’t know I’d come back here again.”
“Ugh, it’s cold…”
“…I think I need to change my equipment to something thicker.”
So we looked at the map and stopped at the nearest city. Klevech. It was the city with the most famous magic tower in the north.
“Have you ever been here?”
“I’m from here.”
“….”
However, upon seeing Klevech, Meister’s expression worsened significantly. It didn’t seem like it was simply due to fatigue.
Although his complexion was pale, the Meister’s hands were trembling slightly from earlier.
“Are you okay?”
“…Are you okay?”
“no. “It’s very bad.”
“…Shall we just finish resupplying and leave immediately?”
“There is no need for that. Regardless of how shitty this city is, I just want to sleep in bed for at least one day. “If we go further north from here, it will be difficult to sleep comfortably.”
“yep.”
I frowned slightly at Meister’s words. Even so, this is the reaction even before entering the city. Is it really okay to stay?
Of course, if you go further up than Klebech, it will be, to borrow an expression from the Archmage, ‘a place where snot freezes as soon as it comes out’… Still, the cold can be solved with magic. Unlike mental problems that cannot be solved with magic.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
Considering that, wouldn’t it be better to go to the next town and rest even if you’re a little tired? At least I am.
“are you okay.”
However, it is also ridiculous that I remain stubborn even though the person in question says it is okay. I shrugged my shoulders and accepted his judgment.
“Is there anything I need to be particularly careful about?”
“Ordinary people wouldn’t know, but for you guys, there’s nothing special….”
The Meister, who was shaking his head awkwardly, suddenly said, “Ah.” made a sound His gaze is directed at the Deathbringer and no one else.
“You should be more careful.”
“…I know that I am the weakest in this party.”
“What are you talking about? “I am the weakest.”
“….”
The moment the meister finished speaking, everyone in the group looked like they couldn’t believe their ears. It was as if they were learning for the first time that foxes are canines.
“What. “Why does everyone look like that?”
“…No, that. “You are weak…”
“The Great Master is weak…”
“Then am I strong?”
“No… isn’t it strange that the man who knocked out the Heretic Questioner with his fist is weak?”
Deathbringer stuttered and said a word. It was the first anecdote I heard.
As soon as I heard something, rather than the embarrassment of ‘Is that possible?’, the first thing that came to my mind was ‘If it’s a Meister, it’s worth it.’ Even knocking out the Heretic Questioner was like, ‘He can do it.’ I wanted to, but
“What bullshit. “For you, strength and force are the same?”
Meanwhile, the Meister looked at us with white eyes.
“It’s not the same, but…”
“The Heretic Questioner is ultimately human, and I also work as a blacksmith. “Under those conditions, wouldn’t it be strange if you made a surprise attack and couldn’t knock him out?”
…That’s also true. I lowered my head as if mesmerized by Meister’s words.
The reality is that even a slender ballerina will break her ribs if she kicks someone with all her heart. Even though they did not exercise for the purpose of gaining strength or learning how to harm people, they were able to generate enough power to break a person’s bones just by using the core strength they had built up over the years.
In a situation like that, what difference does it make to be a blacksmith? On the contrary, it is fortunate that no bones were broken. I prayed for the peace of the unknown Heretic Questioner.
Daniel, who was standing next to me, instantly became drenched in sweat.
“And just because I have the strength to stun people, does that mean I can go one-on-one with a knight? “Can you go one-on-one with the devil?”
“That’s… no…”
“It’s the same even if the target is an ordinary criminal, not a knight or a demon. “At most, I can deal with violent thugs and drunkards, not criminals who kill or beat up people with the intention of doing so.”
“So… what?”
“What the fuck do you think of me?”
…A human being who will survive even if thrown among the devils?
I completely accepted the Meister’s weakness, swallowing the thought of being angry if he heard it. I still can’t quite believe it, but… based on objective indicators, he was the weak one, so there was nothing he could do.
“Anyway… the reason you have to be careful is not because you’re a dick, but because the place you usually hang out is in a back alley. “It might be in other cities, but it’s really dangerous here.”
“Yeah yep.”
“Well, this is from a dozen years ago, so it may be different now, but… I’m staying in the dorm just in case. “Don’t get caught and become a test subject.”
In the meantime, Meister said something like a bomb. Experimental subject. The Archmage’s face turned cold and the Inquisitor’s cheeks flushed with anger.
“Experimenting on humans—!”
“Why are you angry again? “I didn’t get angry during brain experiments in the past.”
“…that thing.”
Brain experiment? I furrowed my brows slightly and uncrossed my arms, trying to gauge the conversation they would have had while I was gone.
“The story ends there. “It’s our turn soon.”
I don’t know anything else, but I don’t think it’s the right thing to say bad things about Klebech in front of a Klevech soldier. Regardless of the right thing to do, we may be at a disadvantage, and we may be caught in the wrong later, which could lead to bigger problems.
I made it known. Those who were excited quickly shut their mouths.
“…Are you really going to catch people?”
“I don’t know now. But it was like that back then.”
Of course, even in this situation, there were people who tried to quietly continue the conversation. Deathbringer asked without moving his lips, and Meister responded with an expressionless face and a slight tilt of his head.
“I’m asking just in case… The Magic Tower isn’t systematically committing this, right?”
“Is that really possible?”
“Ah, of course—”
“The wizard from the Magic Tower is personally involved.”
“No shit.”
While the Inquisitor and Daniel Archmage in the front row were proving their identities, the Deathbringer jumped up. “What is it?” Naturally, the soldier’s attention was drawn to that direction.
“Oh no.”
Who wants to jump like that? I took out my adventurer’s card and stabbed the Deathbringer in the back.
“Go forward.”
“Ah yep.”
Deathbringer paused the conversation and took out an identity document for himself. Thanks to the three people who were judged earlier, ours didn’t take long.
“It’s the real Magi…”
In the process, I felt somewhat like a monkey inside a cage, but it’s always been like that.
“…What do the castle lord and the temple do?”
“No way. “They work too.”
“I’m working, but why…”
“Because it’s done so secretly.”
“If it is secret, shouldn’t it be regulated and monitored more strictly?”
Anyway, as soon as the screening was over, the Inquisitor and Daniel joined their conversation. The Archmage didn’t even open his mouth, but seemed to be keeping an eye on the conversation.
“…Is that okay?”
Up until now, the Inquisitor has learned a lot of common sense about everyday life, but that doesn’t mean his innocence has disappeared. The Meister made a bewildered expression.
“The White Raven Magic Tower is excellent at uncovering the weaknesses of demons and is a leader in the field of life magic. “It’s not that White Crow supports human trafficking and human experimentation, but the political burden is too great to inspect his magic tower without justification.”
Being a leader in life magic also means being a master of healing magic. This is why the ruler of Seongju, who holds power, pays attention to the white crow.
“Well, there’s no reason to be concerned about the temple… but it’s hard to storm there without a reason, right? “Because the Magic Tower’s contribution to the northern front is not that small.”
“Still, people’s lives are at stake…”
“More than anything, there are so many people willing to turn a blind eye to that level of loss if healing magic can be improved and a dying soldier can be saved in exchange for a few of the scum in the back alleys dying. ”
“…!”
“…disgusting.”
“That’s how the world works.”
I guessed that would be the case, but to be confirmed that it was reality was still terrible.
I frowned and urged him to find a place to stay quickly. It is true that I was in better condition than others, but it was also true that I was hungry for a bed.
“…But why is it like that?”
“…?”
“No, one side of the Magic Tower is shattered?”
“…??”
* * *
“The representative of God has entered the city.”
According to the rules of the Klevech Magic Tower branch, the person who came in only once gave news without any greetings or introductions. “Agent of God?” The reason the white crow’s eyes narrowed while listening was because of one of those words.
“Have you had any requests for me about that?”
“Not really.”
“okay. “Then get out of here.”
However, if the target does not have business here, it is probably okay. The white crow absorbed the scent of the mask in its beak and shooed away the messenger with a wave of its hand.
“So… did you hear?”
He waved his hand in a more relaxed voice. With the subtle sound of scales clashing, something that had been mimicked regained its color and form. It was a slime that looked like black tar.
Slurp.
It moved to the ceiling like a drop of water. It was like a reverse playback of water condensing on the ceiling and falling to the floor. The slime that stuck to the ceiling spread widely and imitated the color of the ceiling.
“Yes, number 73?”
“…shut up.”
Instead, something new appeared in the place where the slime left. It was a vertically elongated tubular glass tube.
“Get started quickly.”
“Hehe, I’m in a hurry.”
A glass tube that simply contains a person.
“Okay. Then let’s try strengthening.”
The white crow grinned.