Ch.170Life (3)

*

Alice and I met Sylvia again after more than half a day had passed.

Sylvia was sitting on a large rock in the distance.

When she spotted Alice and me, she broke into a bright smile, waved her hand enthusiastically, and shouted.

“Aaaash!”

“… Haha,”

I waved back with an awkward smile.

I couldn’t respond with the same enthusiasm because Alice, right beside me, seemed to be in a terrible mood.

Of course, I was genuinely happy to see Sylvia greeting me with a bright smile after spending the whole day being careful around Alice, but I didn’t dare run to Sylvia while leaving Alice behind.

Especially when it was almost certain that Alice’s bad mood was because of me.

My sister had called me dense, and I truly didn’t understand what she was thinking, but I at least had enough awareness to notice that much.

Fortunately, I didn’t need to run to her.

Sylvia came running toward us with an even brighter smile than usual.

“Sorry for leaving without saying anything this morning. Were you surprised I wasn’t there?”

“… I was surprised, yes.”

In fact, I was still a bit surprised.

Sylvia’s energy seemed unusually high.

While she normally smiled gently whenever our eyes met, today she seemed strangely bright and energetic.

Alice, looking even more displeased than usual.

Sylvia, looking much happier than usual.

Why were these two so completely opposite in everything, even in this?

I sighed lightly and said.

“Why did you go alone?”

“You looked pretty exhausted yesterday, Ash, so I thought I’d go ahead and clear things up a bit.”

“I need to get used to fighting too. Besides, even if I get hurt a little, it’s fine since Alice is here…”

“What? Did you miss me when you woke up and found me gone?”

Sylvia said with a broad smile.

I frowned slightly, puzzled by her unusually cheerful demeanor.

Noticing the change in my expression, Sylvia quickly spoke up.

“Sorry, I just had something good happen and needed to let off some steam. I felt like running wild a bit.”

So she was running wild because she was happy, not because she was angry?

“Since this morning?”

“Actually, since dawn.”

“…”

“Why, hasn’t Ash ever felt that way? When you’re so excited and happy that you just want to jump around?”

“What could possibly make you so excited…”

I immediately closed my mouth.

I was worried that the “good thing” Sylvia was referring to might be our sex from the previous night.

That wouldn’t be an appropriate topic to bring up with Alice right beside us.

I shook my head at Sylvia and gestured toward Alice with a sidelong glance.

Sylvia tilted her head and said.

“Hmm? Alice knows too.”

“No… ha,”

Of course she would know.

After all, it was Alice who found me sprawled out naked!

As I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, Alice spoke in a cold voice.

“You’re the only one who doesn’t know, Ash.”

“Huh?”

Alice repeated what she had just said.

Something I didn’t know.

What could that possibly be?

As I pondered, Sylvia nodded in agreement with Alice’s words.

“That’s right, Ash doesn’t know yet.”

“… What?”

“Ash staff! I have good news.”

“…?”

Sylvia approached me slowly, extending her arms as if to embrace me.

Then she gradually parted her lips, which were trembling with anticipation.

But at that moment, Alice intervened by putting her arm between Sylvia and me, blocking her as she said.

“Did you finish clearing the area?”

“… Hmm,”

Sylvia looked at Alice, who had interrupted her, with half-lidded eyes.

A chilly atmosphere began to form between the two women again.

Yikes, are they going to fight again?

I was carefully watching both of them.

However, I soon realized that there wasn’t a trace of anger in Sylvia’s eyes.

Although the time I’d spent with her might not be considered extremely long, considering that we’d spent most of it together in a small cabin, there was little chance I’d misread her expression.

In Sylvia’s half-lidded red eyes as she looked at Alice, there was no anger—only amusement.

A savage kind of amusement, like the relaxed smile of a predator watching its struggling prey.

“… So impatient! Alice. As if I wouldn’t have handled it properly. I don’t think you doubt my abilities.”

“Tch,”

The anger was actually more deeply embedded in Alice’s eyes.

In the way she finally lowered her gaze and turned her head away, there seemed to be a hint of defeat or inferiority.

Sylvia slightly concealed her smile and said.

“I didn’t see many monsters, but there were a few ambush-type beasts hiding and waiting for an opportunity. I took care of all of them.”

“The ones that disguise themselves as trees?”

“Yes, those annoying little pests that spray hallucinogenic powder.”

“… I see,”

Alice nodded and lowered her arm.

As if that were a signal, Sylvia grabbed my arm and clung to me.

“Hmm, I have something to tell Ash, but I guess it’ll have to wait.”

“… Huh?”

“It’s between the two of us, so I’ll tell you when Alice isn’t listening.”

“…”

Before I could respond, Alice asked Sylvia.

“How’s the path ahead?”

“There’s not even an ant within sight right now. I’m certain.”

“… Alright, let’s move.”

“I’m tired, how about we rest a bit?”

“…”

“Okay, okay. Stop glaring at me.”

Sylvia gave me a light kiss on the cheek and released my arm.

“Well then, Ash, do your best today too.”

*

Once again, the sun set and night fell.

Almost as soon as the campfire was lit, Ash immediately fell into a deep sleep.

It was partly because he was tired from the long distance they had traveled, thanks to Sylvia clearing the path ahead, but also because he had hurried to fall asleep, fearing that Sylvia might demand to share his bed like yesterday.

Sylvia gazed down at the sleeping Ash lovingly, gently stroking his ash-gray hair.

“I don’t think our baby will be cuter than our baby’s daddy.”

Sylvia whispered softly.

The words “baby’s daddy,” pronounced so quietly that even if Ash were awake he wouldn’t have heard them, sounded incredibly endearing.

Feeling her heart swell with emotion, Sylvia smiled lovingly.

At that moment, a rustling sound came from the distance.

It was Alice returning from her patrol of the surrounding area.

Sylvia raised her head toward Alice and said.

“So it only took you this much time.”

“…”

“Then yesterday, you must have been watching almost from the beginning.”

“…”

Alice didn’t respond.

Probably because she knew that responding would only put her at a disadvantage.

Sylvia turned her gaze back to Ash, enjoying the quiet, rhythmic sound of his breathing.

Alice deliberately broke Sylvia’s tranquility by speaking to her.

“What time are we leaving today?”

“A little later.”

Sylvia answered halfheartedly.

Alice asked again.

“Not sleeping just means you won’t die, right? Don’t you need to manage your condition?”

“It’s true that my condition deteriorates, but I tend to have less fluctuation based on my condition.”

“… I see, you seem quite relaxed even with the Demon King right in front of us.”

“I’ve already gone two days without sleep and I’m fine. Besides, since when have you been so concerned about my condition?”

“…”

“It’s because of your precarious heart that I can’t rest. Shouldn’t you be thanking me?”

Sylvia snapped at Alice.

At dawn, Sylvia had been unable to contain her excitement about being pregnant and had set out early just to release that excitement, but the result had been unexpectedly much more efficient.

The distance they had traveled today was much greater than what they had covered in the previous two days.

With Sylvia finishing all the battles and finding safe routes in advance, Ash and Alice only needed to follow in her footsteps without having to be careful, making it possible.

Therefore, Sylvia and Alice had decided to use this method until they reached the Demon King’s castle.

Ash had initially opposed it, but eventually agreed after Alice persuaded him that she didn’t know how much time she had left.

“Of course, I’ll adjust the pace when we get closer to the Demon King’s castle. Do you think the title of Hero is earned by strength alone?”

“…”

Alice’s lips trembled, but she finally pressed them shut and lowered her head.

She felt that if she tried to argue back, she wouldn’t be able to hold back her shouting and cursing.

With her body burning hot from anger she couldn’t release, Alice spoke in a trembling voice, as if attempting a pathetic provocation.

“Are you sure it’s okay to keep leaving me and Ash alone?”

“What, are you planning to seduce him? With your melting skin and terminal condition?”

“… You bitch.”

“Ash has eyes too.”

“Shut up.”

Alice, having gotten back far less than what she gave, closed her eyes tightly and spat out a curse.

Sylvia spoke to Alice in a low voice.

“Don’t think I’m happy about leaving just you and Ash alone.”

“…”

“Do you know why I’m letting you stay?”

“…”

“Because I trust you? Ridiculous. Because you’re going to die soon anyway? Not at all. Because it’s bad for my baby’s prenatal education? No.”

Sylvia suddenly lowered her head and kissed Ash’s forehead.

It was a gentle and affectionate gesture, as if she were showing off to Alice.

After raising her head again, Sylvia glared at Alice and said.

“It’s because I trust Ash. I don’t doubt for a second that Ash loves me.”

“… Right. I know that.”

“Even if you use your dying condition to make a confession he can’t possibly refuse, even if you try to seduce him with that worn-out body of yours, Ash will never choose you over me.”

“I know that, you bastard.”

“So I’m warning you, keep your mouth shut as you originally intended. Don’t unnecessarily trouble Ash’s heart.”

“…”

“Ash is so kind, he’d probably feel bad even after rejecting you…”

Alice didn’t respond anymore.

But Sylvia thought that this silence was proof that Alice had perfectly understood her point.

After all, Alice was the type of person who would argue back if she had something to say.

Sylvia looked with satisfaction at Alice, who had fallen silent like someone who had swallowed honey, and gently stroked the sleeping Ash’s head again.

After a long silence, Alice slowly opened her eyes and spoke.

“Now… wouldn’t it be okay to tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“About the Demon King.”

“You’re terrible at changing the subject.”

“… It’s not like that, just answer the question. Stop stirring up trouble and just answer what I’m asking, you piece of shit.”

Sylvia asked, trying to hold back her laughter.

“What do you want to know?”

“You’ve seen the Demon King in person. I heard rumors that it’s different from what we learned at the Academy.”

Sylvia nodded.

“Yes, at the Academy we were taught that the Demon King was a horned Ma-in, but the one that actually appeared was a Ma-in with scaly skin.”

“… That’s what the rumors said. Why did the Academy provide incorrect education?”

“They probably thought that since the Demon King’s position was hereditary like a kingdom, it would be similar to the previous Demon Kings recorded in history books.”

“So it wasn’t actually hereditary?”

Sylvia shrugged and answered Alice’s question.

“I don’t know, whether there was a coup despite it being hereditary, or if we just had the wrong information. How would I know? But if I had to guess, I think the Demon King’s position is hereditary. The current Demon King probably usurped the previous one’s position.”

“Why do you think that?”

“A few years ago, when the Hero’s party entered the Demon King’s castle. Among the many demons that blocked us, there were almost no Ma-in.”

Alice asked in surprise.

“… What?”

“I think those who followed the previous Demon King were either all executed, or they left because they didn’t acknowledge the current Demon King. That’s what I think.”

“So it’s just circumstantial evidence, no concrete proof?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Although it was just circumstantial evidence, Alice found it surprisingly easy to accept Sylvia’s conjecture.

Although the Demon King hadn’t died, he had suffered damage almost equivalent to death.

If Sylvia and the Hero’s party had been just a little luckier, the Demon King would have died four years ago.

From the demons’ perspective, there would be no reason not to protect their leader in that moment of crisis when they might be defeated.

The only reason would be that they were already dead or had left.

And if they had indeed left, the reason would probably be that they didn’t acknowledge the current Demon King.

“So, your comrades were defeated by a Demon King with no subordinates?”

“I said there were few Ma-in, not that there were no subordinates. In fact, there were masses of types of demons we hadn’t seen before.”

“… Hadn’t seen?”

“More precisely, ones we hadn’t paid much attention to. Minotaurs, ogres, giants—creatures with low intelligence but disgustingly high strength.”

“The Hero’s party was defeated by such things?”

“They were… modified somehow. In fact, they were more like haphazardly modified biological weapons and living bombs than subordinates.”

“…”

Sylvia frowned deeply as if recalling that time.

A cold anger that seemed capable of even dampening Alice’s heat emanated from Sylvia.

“Traps, countless traps, and hundreds, thousands of living bombs waiting in those traps.”

“So this Demon King used all demons like objects.”

“If the Ma-in did leave, that might be why.”

Alice was silent for a moment, then asked Sylvia again.

“What about the Demon King himself? Was he strong?”

“Yes. Frighteningly so.”

“What kind of fighter was he?”

“He was a mage.”

“… That doesn’t make sense,”

Alice tilted her head.

“If the opponent was a mage, Maria couldn’t have lost,”

“…”

That was true.

Although her talent didn’t necessarily translate to physical power, Maria was a genius.

If hundreds or thousands of talented people with outstanding achievements were lined up and someone had to pick just one genius among them, no one would be chosen before Maria.

Even if the comparison was with Sylvia, the Hero, the difference between Sylvia’s talent for swordsmanship and Maria’s talent for magic was as vast as the distance between heaven and earth.

“Maria knows the dispelling incantation for every magic, right? So how…”

“Even Maria couldn’t decipher the Demon King’s magic.”

“…What?”

“Yes… you heard right.”

“Don’t bullshit me. Maria couldn’t decipher it? There’s no way such magic exists.”

“It’s true. Even Maria said she had never seen or heard of the Demon King’s magic before, and she couldn’t even understand it.”

Magic was often described as a “calculation formula written in a language with power.”

This discipline, which required both a sense for language and mathematical thinking, was a strange field that demanded artistic sensibility, bold imagination, and at the same time, precise calculation ability.

While many people suffered through these confusing requirements, studying and learning diligently,

Maria already knew everything.

Not through learning, but through instinct.

She was like a native speaker of the language of magic, like a fish swimming in the sea of magic from birth.

Therefore, the concept of magic that Maria couldn’t understand was fundamentally a contradiction, an impossible statement.

At least in Alice’s mind, it was.

“Because of that, Maria couldn’t use magic dispelling incantations.”

“… I see.”

Facing the shaken Alice, Sylvia spoke briefly.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“…”

“No, it’s actually better. Neither you nor I are casters anyway.”

“That’s right, we’re just sword-swinging blockheads, you and I.”

“Our job is to drive a sword into that neck without giving time to chant spells or make gestures. No, this time we need to chop it up until there’s no trace left. And if you’re still alive by then…”

Alice slowly nodded.

“I’ll burn it with holy power.”

“… That’s right.”

Sylvia chuckled and slowly got up, moving away from Ash.

As she prepared to depart, she continued.

“Stay alive until then, and I’ll allow you to look at my husband’s sleeping face in the meantime.”

.