Of course, I thought that the Nameless might screw things up. But, to be honest, I wasn’t that worried.
You might wonder why I suddenly changed my mind, but what can you do?
To explain briefly…
Believing in the Nameless is one thing, but what kind of chaos could he possibly cause here?
Well, even if he caused a huge disaster, it would only be a matter of killing a Demon. What’s wrong with that, really?
After all, I’m not exactly sure what the situation is with the Demons here, but… aren’t they the ones planning to attack humans?
Since I’m human too, I’ll naturally feel a greater sense of guilt about killing humans than Demons.
Thinking it through, killing could be a method after all.
If someone were to say, “Demons have lives too!” I wouldn’t know how to respond.
“Hmm…”
No matter how I tried to feel guilty about killing Demons, it really felt like killing pests that harm humans.
Of course.
If the Nameless were to kill a Demon, I would have a hard time explaining myself to Lili, who I’ve grown somewhat close to. But if worse comes to worst, I could just distance myself from the Demon King and hide back in my cabin.
Plus, if I think a bit selfishly, it feels like my time living alone with the Nameless in the cabin was much more comfortable and fun than wandering around outside.
“Ah…”
Now that I think about it, there is one thing that’s definitely better outside.
Strawberries taste much better when eaten outdoors.
I feel like I got sidetracked there for a moment…
Anyway.
This isn’t the time to be thinking about these things.
I wiped the drool from my mouth with the back of my hand and turned to look at Elia.
I had definitely asked her to watch over me, who has no combat ability.
It seemed a bit excessive to worry so much about the one who’ll face off against the Demons, especially when my disciple, the Nameless, and the Hero, Lucius, are here.
“…”
Recalling Lucius’ expression when I made that request, I let out a short sigh and moved closer to Elia.
I glanced up at her, only to find her looking worriedly at the Nameless and Lucius for some reason.
“Hmm.”
It seems she’s concerned about them fighting against the Demon that defeated Camilla’s Knights.
Since I’ve faced off against that Demon briefly, I know he’s not anything to write home about… but Elia wouldn’t know that. I can’t just tell her, “I know that Demon, he’s weak!”
I gave a small sigh and tried to comfort Elia by patting her shoulder.
“Elia, don’t worry too much.”
“Ah… Harang.”
Elia flinched at my unexpected touch, turning her head to look at me.
I did think she might be overreacting, but seeing her small smile, my concern faded.
If she had been too tense, it was understandable that she’d react like that.
Nodding slightly, I turned to Elia to say, “We should start moving soon.”
“…Yes.”
For some reason, her smile seemed awkward, but maybe that was just my imagination.
…
How long have we been walking, trying to shake off this unpleasant energy?
At the depths of the cave.
It seemed like a Demon was waiting for us, greeting us cheerfully.
“Nice to meet you, humans.”
A pair of dried horns, a pointed tail, sharp canine teeth showing as he spoke, and an unnecessarily polite tone.
As expected, it had to be…
I realized this Demon was the same one I had encountered when I showcased the futility of the Nameless back in the cabin.
…Why is it that my instincts only turn out to be correct at times like this? If only my thoughts aligned with reality more often.
The Demon, slightly bowing its head, grinned and started to introduce itself.
“Allow me to briefly introduce my name-”
“Jackal!”
That was drowned out by Lucius’s piercing, rage-filled shout.
The Demon, referred to as Jackal by Lucius, tilted its head slightly, expressing confusion.
“Hmm? Do you know me?”
Facing Jackal’s nonchalant question, Lucius scowled and aimed his sword at him.
“I do!”
“…But this is my first time seeing you.”
Like Jackal, I too wore a shocked expression looking at Lucius.
…What’s going on?
I briefly wondered if Lucius had met Jackal once before. But looking at Jackal’s puzzled face, that didn’t seem to be the case.
Lucius glared at Jackal with a disgusted expression, as if looking at a cockroach.
“Because of you, how many…!”
The complaints that followed.
I let those words wash over me, squinting to look at Jackal.
As time went on, the patterns swirling around him were becoming more vibrant, glowing a familiar shade of red.
Hmm, I’ve definitely seen this somewhere before…
“Where did I see that…”
“What?”
“Hmm, it’s nothing.”
Noticing Elia’s curiosity over my mumbling, I waved my hand subtly, signaling for her not to worry about it.
I distinctly remembered that whenever Lili suddenly appeared or finished her business and returned, there were similar patterns.
…Is Lili nearby? I can’t feel her presence, though.
As I leaned my head, pondering about the source of that feeling.
Before I knew it, Lucius had already jumped towards Jackal, radiating golden energy everywhere.
-Bang!
“Have you already started?”
“…What?”
Damn it, it can’t end too quickly.
I prayed that the Demon would at least run away safely.
…
The dim cave was illuminated by Lucius’s brilliant light.
“Nameless! To the left!”
Lucius shouted as he dove towards Jackal.
At the same time.
The Nameless glanced at Lucius and timed their leap simultaneously.
Jackal closed his eyes upon Lucius’s command.
It seems his thoughts of prolonging the conversation were too complacent.
“I’m not sure why you’re so angry…”
With a small sigh, Jackal looked at the two warriors charging toward him.
And just as he opened his mouth, numerous magic circles began to glow red around him.
“It can’t be helped.”
Looming shadowy chains began to creep out with a chilling sound.
They lunged straight at Lucius and the Nameless.
-Bang!
The multitude of chains approaching him made the Nameless dart his eyes around.
There were just too many to evade.
Then.
“Gah!”
The Nameless, without a moment’s hesitation, fixed his gaze on the chains and swung his sword in a semi-circle, swatting away the incoming chains.
‘If I can just reduce their numbers, that should do it.’
The sound of metal clashing resonated like an explosion.
-Clang!
Meanwhile, unlike him, Lucius was evading the chains with slight movements.
Thanks to his future-sight, he could see the chains’ movements.
“Jackal!!”
Thus, Lucius, having reached Jackal before the Nameless, swung his sword with all his might.
-Crunch!
He was blocked by chains rising up to protect Jackal.
“…You have good eyesight.”
Jackal praised him lightly as a figure appeared on his right.
“Ugh!”
A flurry of attacks from the Nameless, imbued with a scarlet energy followed.
…
I watched their fight unfold, growing increasingly anxious.
Why? Why are their rhythms aligning so perfectly…
Shouldn’t the two styles—Lucius’s overwhelming power and the Nameless’s fast-paced, relentless approach—be completely different?
I never dared to predict they would synchronize so well.
Anxious, cold sweat trickled down my cheeks.
Of course, it was impressive enough that Jackal could maintain composure while facing both Lucius and the Nameless.
“Within three minutes, this will be over…”
Jackal’s casual demeanor will likely vanish in an instant.
As it stands, just one approach from the Nameless and Lucius was enough to visibly diminish the magic circles surrounding Jackal.
I bit my lip in anxiety.
What should I do… Should I intervene even now?
But doing so would surely alert Elia, standing beside me.
Even if Elia’s combat abilities aren’t that high, she’s the Saint.
She must not be that oblivious.
…So what can I do?
As I turned my head, searching for a solution.
Then suddenly.
“That’s….”
The pattern I had previously felt a sense of déjà vu from popped into view. It was considerably brighter now compared to earlier.
Could it be… a magic circle for teleportation?
If so, would spilling some of my energy into it perhaps buy some time for Jackal to escape?
I thought for a moment, my actions quickened.
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