Chapter 115
I was lost in deep contemplation due to something Adrang had said, but it only worsened as he continued.
“The mysterious entity controlling corpses you mentioned used a high-ranking demoness to deliver a message.”
“Huh?! What, what kind of message?”
It hit me like a thunderbolt. I turned my head to Adrang as swift as lightning.
Apropos of this, Adrang, who had been staring at me intently, finally spoke.
“Excellent. We look forward to our next meeting, contractor of the Immortal Demon King.”
“……!!”
“The contractor of the Immortal Demon King… Yes. That one definitely said that.”
The head of Cassas, his message had left me rigid; I felt aghast, and then belatedly observed Adrang’s expression.
—Eradicate everything related to the witch.
An overwhelming murderous intent from my past life overlapped with the current situation, and it jolted all my nerve endings. Reflexively, I shrank back and reached for my sword.
However, he possessed an unexpectedly calm gaze; even a faint smirk played on his lips.
“We had an agreement before the battle. For you to indulge me in some discussion, wasn’t it?”
“…Ah, yes, we agreed on that.”
“I’ll hear the rest of your story then. This conversation is shaping up to be quite intriguing.”
…To me, it feels like a conversation that will chill the bones. The profound look with which Adrang stared sent a freezing wave of coldness through my entire body.
Adrang soon turned in a different direction, heading toward the western gate.
“I’ll head to the capital first. When you get there, find me. We’ll have a calm discussion after enjoying the Seven-Gods Festival in a week.”
Adrang rambled on with his words and immediately began walking away from Kern.
I watched his receding figure until I decided to call him back.
“Lord Adrang.”
“Hmm?”
Adrang turned around, his piercing white eyes, glowing like a beast’s, stared directly at me.
I asked him the question I’d been pondering for a while.
“…What should I do to not become a demon?”
Don’t just throw out cryptic answers. Give me a clear solution. It sounds a bit embarrassing, doesn’t it? Regardless, I’m utterly serious in this question.
Whether or not he’s a demon, it’s undeniable that I’m transforming into a monster. I can’t help but be serious about this.
“You need to grow stronger.”
But Adrang’s response was predictably absurd.
As I furrowed my brow deeper, I asked.
“To grow stronger? What specifically, then?”
“Strong enough not to succumb to anyone’s attacks. Strengthen both the body and mind equally. A healthy spirit resides in a healthy body, after all.”
“You could say ‘Thoroughly review the core subjects like Math, Science, and Korean’ while you’re at it.” I thought sarcastically.
Given that further discussion wouldn’t lead to any satisfactory answer, I decided to change my question with a sigh.
“Then are you strong, Lord Adrang?”
“Me?”
And then, he smirked.
With a predatory grin on his face, he fondled the gauntlets on his arm.
“My body, at least, is the strongest among warriors.”
What an immense pride. A well-founded confidence in his words, and I inadvertently exhaled my admiration.
But then Adrang let out a sigh-like chuckle and continued.
“I abandoned my sanity and ultimately became a demon. My only achievement to brag about is that ridiculously trained body.”
“… I see.”
“Looking back, I had no business giving advice in the first place.”
Adrang moved on with a self-deprecating tone. Just before he disappeared from my view, I shouted behind him.
“I’ll come to work on becoming stronger soon!”
Due to the unexpected outburst, Adrang slightly turned his head to glance back at me.
I scratched the back of my head and composed myself before continuing.
“I want to propose an agreement.”
“… An agreement?”
“I will willingly share all the information I possess. In return, please make me stronger. The strongest on the continent. Even stronger than Lord Adrang. If you can grant me that, I’ll take care of honing my mind myself.”
The bold suggestion I pitched left Adrang momentarily gawking. He soon burst into laughter, extending his gauntlet-covered fist in my direction.
I mimicked the action from afar.
“I don’t think about taking apprentices, but spars would surely be welcome.”
Leaving that remark, Adrang swiftly disappeared from my sight.
In the middle of Kern’s central business district, filled with the cries of sorrow and the voices calling out dead people’s names, I quietly stared at my tightly clenched fist.
‘… I need to get stronger.’
I didn’t have a concrete plan or idea, but I vaguely knew this was necessary. That’s why I sought and questioned Adrang, that’s why I requested training.
It was somewhat ambiguous whether Adrang accepted my proposal, but it wasn’t outright rejected, so I chose to perceive it as half-accepted.
‘… Come to think of it, it’s not wrong after all.’
I no longer want to become a monster.
To avoid that, I must not die.
To avoid dying, I must grow stronger. Perhaps the simplest answer could be seen this way.
‘If only I had been any stronger… the number of people who died today wouldn’t have reached 200, right?’
Had I been stronger, it would have been 100. Even stronger, just 10. And if I were even stronger than that, the count would certainly be lower. At least, that’s how it would be.
‘I was powerless. Really powerless.’
That’s the sole truth I understood. The relentless despair that consumed me during this ordeal originated overwhelmingly from my own impotence. I berated myself endlessly over this.
Certainly, there will be things beyond my control no matter how strong I grow.
But it’s undeniable that such incidents will gradually decrease as I get stronger.
“Training of mind….”
I mulled over the words Adrang had spoken, meandering through the streets listlessly when suddenly I stopped in my tracks.
Another tragic scene of mourning among countless others, yet something about it caught my attention.
“Mom… Huuhh… Waaaahh….”
I recognized the face.
A grotesque corpse, twisted beyond recognition due to its monstrous form. Yet, tightly clutching it and weeping was a child.
Her brown hair matted and her gray eyes soaked with tears. A tiny girl in blood-smeared rags.
The nameless girl I saved just a while ago.
“… Huh? Oh, uncle…?”
As she sensed my presence while I observed her silently, the girl turned her head toward me. Realizing it was me, she gasped and hastily wiped her tears against her sleeve.
Apparently, she remembered my face. The “uncle” title continued, too. Cute.
“Is it your mom?”
I asked, my tone seemingly indifferent, my eyes fixed on the blood-soaked monster corpse.
Upon hearing this, Tara flinched, once more burying her face in her sleeve. Her frail shoulders began shaking again.
“Uhh… Hic. WAHHH…!”
“Alright, alright, hold on for a second…!”
Why is she crying so suddenly? It feels like I’ve started the crying again.
Feeling somewhat awkward, I began rummaging wildly through my pockets and bag. Since there’s no way I can soothe her with words, I hoped a gift might do some good.
“Isn’t it that I have nothing?…”
But after shaking out the dust and rummaging thoroughly, all I found were crumbs, a portable igniter, my companions – the Box of the Dead and the Ether bottles – and a few unopened random reward boxes I’d stashed away as part of my demon king hunting rewards.
“For now, let’s go with this.”
I handed over all the random boxes in my possession to her.
“Here, take this.”
“Uh…?”
“If you open it, you’ll find something valuable. Use the money to… uh, live well and eat well.”
Of course, since they’re “random boxes,” the value of what’s inside can vary wildly.
I’ve opened a few from my demon king hunting rewards in the past. They contained various items such as potions that minimally boosted attributes, healing potions, runes with different effects, and a variety of gems.
From the ones I’ve opened so far, none have been items that a wanderer would discard as trash. At a minimum, they’re high-value items.
The girl silently stared at the boxes I handed over and eventually looked up at me.
“Err… but, uncle.”
“Hm?”
“…Why are you giving this to me?”
“…Hmm….”
Good question. Why exactly?
There are other relatives of people turned into monsters. Why did my steps stop only at her?
Because I saved her earlier? That’s not quite right either. I didn’t even realize it was her until I took a closer look.
Frankly speaking, it’s because I was drawn to her sparkling gray eyes. That sounds a bit cheesy, but I couldn’t say it aloud because I was worried about getting dragged away by the guards for being weird.
But honestly, there’s no other reason. So I fell into contemplation, wondering how to phrase it nicely.
“Alright.”
“Huh?”
Suddenly, the little girl extended her dainty hand and handed me something.
I took it absentmindedly. Clink. A crude iron ring fell into my palm.
“My mom always said… if you receive something, you must return a gift.”
In that brief moment, her tears stopped, and she spoke resolutely.
At that, a faint smile unintentionally emerged on my face.
“Understood. Thank you. I’ll pass it down to my great-grandson.”
“I… thank you, uncle.”
A flicker of a faint smile graced Tara’s lips. Though it disappeared quickly under the subsequent wave of sorrow.
I nodded slightly at the bowed Tara.
“… Such things.”
At moments like this, I can’t help but lament how thick-headed I am.
I desperately want to give her some comforting words but cannot think of anything appropriate.
Therefore, as is my usual habit with Ruci, I roughly ruffled her hair.
“What’s your name?”
“…Tara.”
“Alright. Tara… stay strong.”
“…Uh, hic.”
Tara, as though a faucet had been turned on the top of her head, shed tears whenever I touched her head.
I slowly retracted my hand and turned my back to Tara, heading back briskly to the inn I had stayed at earlier. Her subdued crying slowly faded away.
I felt a complex mix of emotions—sour and rough, yet intricate and subtle. It lingered throughout my walk from the central business district to the residential area.
‘Aha. I should put this somewhere.’
While pondering where to keep the ring Tara gave me, an amusing idea flashed in my mind. I immediately rummaged through my bag, pulling out the Box of the Dead.
‘Now that I think about it, this is perfect for storing valuable items.’
Only I can see and touch the Box of the Dead, so there’s no worry of theft. Also, with that major event settled, it’s about time to update the Box of the Dead as well. This feels like a win-win situation.
Thinking of such ideas makes me wonder. Am I actually a genius after all? In a mere ten minutes of reflection, I’ve managed to reach such thoughts.
“… Hmm?”
As I reflected, I opened the Box of the Dead, but my eyes couldn’t believe what they saw.
Clink. A small iron ring rolled around inside the Box of the Dead. I momentarily lost my words upon seeing it.
“… It’s the same?”
I carefully compared the ring from inside the box with the one I had just received.
It’s identical. Not only the design but also the extent of wear suggests they were likely made around the same time. It’s so identical that I would believe it’s a copy if told so.
‘Ah, no way?’
I immediately turned back toward the direction of the central business district where Tara was and tried to recall.
However, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember meeting Tara.
So then, could it be… I’ve met Tara before in one of my lost reincarnations?
‘No. No way.’
I quickly dismissed the thought with a snicker.
This cheap iron ring with no ornamentation? There must be countless identical ones scattered throughout Kern’s marketplaces, tripping people everywhere. I know this from experience.
And considering Kern’s population? Thinking it’s some miraculous coincidence based on just this one ring is stretching it. It’s more plausible that she picked it up somewhere and hastily kept it with her before dying.
‘And even if it’s true, so what?’
Even after death, when time resets, I can’t even remember it.
So it’s as if it never happened.
I contemplated the two rings for a moment before tossing the one originally inside the Box of the Dead elsewhere.
Tink. The ring rolled along the street slowly before slipping into a drain.
“Perfect. Hole in one.”
After staying awake all night and engaging in fierce battles, now with those memories repeating exactly 12 times.
After exhausting my mana to the point of spitting blood, I was ravenously hungry. Honestly, I can’t even think of anything complicated right now, only food.
“Let’s eat something.”
As I thought of food, my drooping mood quickly picked up.
This kid, really simple.
Me, I’m just a simple guy.
