“It’s starting to show a bit, huh…”
I let out a sigh as I recalled Lili’s words from last night’s dream.
*
“The Demon King’s seal is weakening!”
“…It’s weakening?”
My head throbbed at the sight of Lili grinning mischievously.
…Weakening, huh?
Even without a Hero, Saint, or even the Nameless enrolling in the Academy, the story is progressing steadily, and it’s giving me a headache.
“Yes! Even a seal swapped for the life of a Hero probably couldn’t last more than 300 years!”
Or maybe our Demon King is just super strong? Lili added that with a giggle, unfazed by my dwindling mood.
“…I see.”
But I couldn’t show such feelings to Lili.
She’s bound to see me as a complete ally, so I can’t mess that up, right?
I just mulled it over internally.
“So, is that why you came here?”
“Yes! It’s important information!”
“It certainly is important….”
Lili hopped around, flapping her wings and plopped her chest against my shoulder as she continued.
“Yes! So I’d like Harang to start preparing soon!”
Soft, huh… no wait.
“What kind of preparation?”
Tilting my head in confusion, Lili raised her finger to her lips with a smirk.
“Of course! Preparation for war!”
“Excuse me?”
War, you say?
“D-Do you think the Demon King will awaken anytime soon? Are we already preparing?”
“Well… at this rate, what do you say in about three years?”
Three years, long if you think about it…
“Seems quick…”
“Is it? To a human, three years… Ah, it doesn’t really mean anything to you, Harang!”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, it’s nothing…! I absolutely didn’t mean to say grandma or anything like that!”
This kid?
I felt a strong urge to flick her forehead, but I bit it back and sighed as I asked.
“If I may ask, who’s at war?”
“Um… probably the Demon Race and humans?”
She answered nonchalantly, shaking her head.
“Of course, the Nameless and you, Harang, are excluded!”
“…Well, thanks for that.”
“Oh! And the Cheonma Church too! They’re important sacrifices!”
I didn’t respond to Lili’s follow-up and lowered my head.
…What a complicated situation.
If war breaks out, which side should I fight for?
Morally, it would be right to help humans, but realistically, staying neutral seems far more beneficial.
If anyone asks what benefit that would be… well, I won’t take a loss, so it’s all gain, right?
But…
Camilla weighs on my mind. And the thought of the kids I’ve grown fond of at the Academy dying torments me.
Hmm… it’s a dilemma.
Honestly, hearing the Nameless’s opinion would really be the most certain way to consider it, so I think it’d be good to talk about it later.
After all, I wouldn’t be able to free the Cheonma Church from being sacrifices to the Demon King using just my own brain.
Wait… wouldn’t that mean I’d be making enemies with the Demon King?
Taking away what was promised to them…
Ugh, I don’t know.
…Well, if worst comes to worst, I could just hide away somewhere with the Nameless.
It might seem cowardly to run, but can’t I indulge in this level of greed?
As long as the Nameless is with me, I wouldn’t mind being sullied.
“Well then! I’ll be going now!”
“Yeah, go on.”
“Yay! It was fun! I’ll probably come back again soon!”
I pouted at Lili, who was flapping her wings and soaring into the air.
“Please don’t.”
For some reason, every time I talked to Lili, I felt drained; I genuinely hoped she wouldn’t come back.
“Hehe, you’re just pretending to be tough—Uh, okay, I get it!”
I tossed a pebble at Lili as she tried to say something unnecessary and smirked.
I woke up from the dream.
*
“Nameless, do you think we’ll need more?”
“I think this amount will be sufficient.”
I sighed heavily while looking at the pile of firewood stacked like a mountain.
“…The weather is getting colder fast.”
A bit of steam escaped from my mouth as if to prove that point.
The Nameless nodded while carrying the majority of the firewood on his shoulders.
“Yes, it seems to be influenced by the high altitude.”
“Hmm… I see.”
I gathered the remaining firewood, putting it into a bundle and slinging it over my shoulder.
It’s been nearly two months since I heard that from Lili.
During that time, the Nameless and I had just been grinding away, with nothing special happening.
No intruders had dared approach the ol’ hut either.
Hmm… well, to be honest, it’s a bit early for intruders.
The capital, where I had made a mess, is quite far from the mountains where I live.
Getting here took me a bit over half a day, but if I thought about it, the Nameless alone would take much longer, even with breaks.
Of course, Lili had visited a few times to catch up, but… there wasn’t much important being said.
Most of it was mere chitchat.
Ah, one thing that’s been on my mind is the Cheonma Church’s plan to relocate near the hut, perhaps?
I had no reason to refuse, so I granted them permission a month ago.
Hmm, it has been almost a month since I allowed it, so maybe they might be here soon?
No matter how far a distance, with Jackal, there shouldn’t be any movement restrictions, so they’ll arrive soon.
…Well, I guess it won’t be boring then.
The last time I saw those guys, there were over a hundred of them—could almost make a village out of it.
It’s bound to get noisy.
Hmm, if a war breaks out, I could just take Camilla away separately.
Camilla, with her strong will, would likely put up a fight, but…
In the end, she’d have to accept it.
If I’m bringing her over, it means the human side is already half destroyed.
Even if she’s hurt, I’ll just have to comfort her.
Time heals all wounds. Or, it might just be the comfort of another person.
Haven’t I received a lot of comfort from the Nameless myself?
I just need to raise one disciple, and things should improve.
I dumped the firewood into the newly built shed next to the hut and dusted off my hands.
“Nameless, this has to be the last one, right?”
“Yes, it should be.”
Of course, the last two months haven’t been devoid of good news.
I casually drew my wooden sword from my waist and aimed it at the Nameless.
“Well then, since everything’s ready… The Nameless, it’s time to wield that sword.”
“Yes, Master….”
The Nameless exhaled a sigh, radiating an aura that clearly conveyed reluctance and trudged towards the training ground.
“Well then, brace yourself…!”
“…Ugh!”
The Nameless’s skill had started to rise alarmingly fast.
“Gah!”
“Left side, back of the ankle. There’s a gap opening.”
It seems to be due to the massive amount of inner energy I’ve been injecting and the bugs.
Those bugs that I thought only harmed the Nameless ended up awakening his talent.
I’m not too sure why, but recalling what the Saint Elia mentioned, I suspect it’s related to character.
Character is deeply connected to the imagery that’s important in handling inner energy, after all.
As the bugs began to influence the Nameless’s character, how fortunate it is that his image didn’t split into many paths but rather began to converge.
I sheathed the wooden sword at my waist and dusted off my hands.
“Hmm, you’re definitely improving quickly.”
“Haah, huff… Thank you.”
The Nameless lay on the ground, panting heavily, and smiled at my compliment.
“Does this mean you’ll leave me soon?”
I chuckled, jokingly asking, but the Nameless’s expression froze over.
“That won’t happen.”
“…Really?”
Is it necessary to be that serious? I wondered, but oddly enough, his words pleased me and made my mouth curl into a smile.
…Hah, this isn’t good.
It’s essentially declaring that my disciple will always be dependent on his Master, so I should definitely give him a good scolding…
However, managing the good feeling rising in me proved far more challenging than I thought.
But as a Master, I should say something.
Sighing, I poked the Nameless in the side.
“Are you really not going to leave me?”
“Yes, Master.”
A resolute reply from the Nameless.
I truly couldn’t grasp what this disciple was thinking.
…It seems I need to shake him out of it.
It’s known that men prioritize reproduction.
I lightly smiled and gave the Nameless a playful slap on the shoulder as he lay there.
“Haah, you’re gonna end up dying a bachelor at this rate.”
But, it seemed my thoughts were just being mocked.
I kindly tried to address my concern, and yet the disciple’s expression just grew darker.
“When will it be…?”
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind….”
It truly was a peaceful day.
…Looking at the Nameless’s pout, it feels like it’s only me enjoying peace, huh?
I wonder why he is sulking.
I couldn’t understand, so I simply tilted my head.
