Ch.33Chapter 33. First Real Combat

    “……Merilyn.”

    Her mouth opened again after a long silence had passed.

    Perhaps I had fallen asleep.

    The sunlight that had been shining on the forest path was now casting the glow of sunset, and I could feel the world gradually being tinged with crimson and black.

    “Merilyn, why do you travel?”

    “Because it is my profession.”

    Despite the long pause, Merilyn answered as if she had been waiting for the question.

    Though my head still rested on her lap, she showed no sign of discomfort as she quietly stroked my hair.

    With meticulous care, like when playing an instrument.

    “When we first met, you introduced yourself as a jester, not a minstrel.”

    But her self-proclaimed mission must be more than just playing instruments.

    Though I couldn’t be certain, I could vaguely sense it.

    While she was attentive to me, I could feel occasional hesitation in her fingertips.

    “Is there a reason you call yourself that?”

    As if she were anxious about whether someone devoted to their mission should be so focused on another person.

    “……I serve someone.”

    The answer came after a brief silence.

    Soon she began to whisper to me in a low voice.

    “Someone you serve……”

    “Someone to whom I’ve sworn genuine loyalty. That person led me out into the world when I was nothing but a common beggar, and showed me what glory truly means.”

    Someone who had given her more time and heart than I, who she directly called special.

    The weight of her feelings for that person must be as heavy as her entire lifetime.

    After all, that person was surely the reason she embarked on this perilous journey.

    “That person could accomplish what none of their followers, including myself, could achieve. That’s why I swore loyalty. Even if it cost me my life, I held the expectation that they would achieve what I could never accomplish in my entire lifetime.”

    Not just her life but her dignity, and all the effort and passion she could pour into that life…

    Yet despite claiming sincerity, why did her voice tremble so?

    “But perhaps they too became intoxicated with glory for too long?”

    Slowly.

    Her touch gradually weakened.

    She let her hand drop to the floor and turned her head away from me to look outside the carriage.

    “Like memories fading during a long journey, that person who had been searching for glory eventually lost their smile.”

    “…Their smile?”

    “I wanted to make them smile again. That’s why I left their side to wander this world.”

    With the stories she collected…

    And if that wasn’t enough, with stories she crafted herself, all to bring a smile back to that person’s face.

    “But as I travel, I’m gradually realizing. If it’s a problem that could be solved by the efforts of a lowly jester like me, then anyone who serves them could accomplish it…”

    How twisted her heart must have become, repeating this endless journey over and over.

    I could feel how much she had buried behind that smile, transmitted to me through her murmurs in this moment.

    Why she considered me special after just a day’s acquaintance, and why even now she wanted to lean on me.

    “Perhaps that’s why I feel drawn to our meeting.”

    Yes, though it’s just the beginning, I could at least hold some expectation.

    “With you, I feel the hope that the thirst that can no longer be quenched by loyalty might be satisfied…”

    -Clatter, clatter.

    The sound of wheels turning in the silence.

    As I listened to it, I realized I had been making an assumption.

    Yes, though it’s just a memory.

    If such a memory could create an unshakable pillar in someone’s broken world… wouldn’t that itself be called hope?

    “…Um, Merilyn.”

    If in this world, I alone with my abilities could satisfy her.

    Furthermore, if my fate, which is destined for death, could be extended through this person’s hands…

    “If it’s alright with you. After this mission is over…”

    So if we’re drawn to each other, wouldn’t it be good to stay together from now on?

    -Crash!

    Before I could finish speaking, a thunderous noise erupted from the carriage at the front, and suddenly my head was lifted as her gaze quickly turned forward.

    Yes, an attack.

    “We’re under attack!”

    I could tell without any precognitive ability.

    If I couldn’t sense such an ominous sign, I would have been dead long ago in this world.

    “Merilyn! Get out!!”

    Confirming our feelings for each other could wait until after overcoming this crisis.

    As I grabbed my spear and jumped out of the carriage, Merilyn quickly leaped out as well and fell into my arms.

    I noticed how nimble her movements were, contrary to her gentle appearance.

    -Crash!

    But before I could express my admiration, something crashed into the luggage compartment of the carriage where I had been, completely destroying it.

    A massive boulder…

    -Crunch!

    No, the boulder was wriggling.

    I instinctively sensed that this was clearly “a being with consciousness.”

    “…A monster.”

    Monster.

    Abominations that gained consciousness and instinct when filth merged with the surrounding environment, influenced by the power permeating this world.

    Such beings existed in small numbers originally, but they increased exponentially after the Demon Lord and his followers, the Demon Army, arrived in this world by tearing through dimensions.

    Scholars speculate that monsters are born when beings like the Demon Lord interfere with dimensions, twisting the laws of the world and causing objects to take on characteristics of living beings…

    -Growl, roar!

    But whatever the reason, it’s certain that these monsters are dangerous.

    These creatures, with predation as their basic instinct, regard everything except their own kind as enemies and desperately try to devour whatever they encounter.

    “Merilyn. Would it be alright if I asked you to play like you did yesterday?”

    As the boulder gradually unfolded and transformed into a beast-like shape, I gripped my spear shaft and stepped back, quietly asking Merilyn who stood behind me.

    With a voice filled with wariness toward the monster that appeared before her, she replied:

    “I could, but it would become more dangerous.”

    “Why?”

    “Monsters are affected too.”

    Of course, music spreads to the full range of hearing.

    Without something like earphones, how could friend and foe be distinguished?

    -Kyaaaa!

    So I would have to handle this myself.

    As I realized my unexpected first real battle had arrived, the boulder-turned-beast began charging toward me.

    If I dodge here, Merilyn will get hit. So I need to guard first…!

    -Crack!

    Good, I somehow blocked the first attack with my spear shaft.

    But since its body was like stone, it had considerable mass.

    When it collided at no small speed, I inevitably felt tremendous pressure.

    -Growl, roar!!

    Taking another hit would be dangerous.

    I quickly attempted to roll using the lightness of my armor, causing the monster’s claws to miss, and soon its ominously glowing red eyes turned toward me.

    Good, this has drawn its attention away from Merilyn.

    “Huff…”

    I exhaled deeply, gripped my spear tightly, and glared at the approaching beast.

    Stay focused and don’t get impatient.

    There’s no need to overthink this—just handle this creature exactly as I did yesterday.

    Even without Merilyn’s support, I had replayed that sensation in my mind several times after she left, so it was certainly within the realm of reproducibility.

    -Kyaaak!

    The monster charged at me with a roar as I steeled myself.

    I tracked its charge with my eyes, then avoided its downward attack with a backstep.

    Then forward again, using the momentum from landing.

    -Thwack!

    The moment I felt my spear blade pierce precisely into the monster’s shoulder, I twisted the shaft and swung it upward forcefully.

    Crack! The monster’s arm was severed and fell uselessly.

    Taking advantage of its precarious balance, I swung my spear tip aimed at the monster’s head.

    Though its body was like rock, I had no hesitation in attacking.

    After all, I was wielding a weapon made of “mythril,” the most durable metal in this world.

    -Crack!

    The monster’s head shattered from the sharpness of my attack.

    Only the headless corpse slumped to the ground, but I couldn’t afford to be intoxicated by this first victory.

    The carriage I had been riding was positioned in the center of the group, and the fact that a boulder had crashed into it meant that essentially the entire caravan was in danger.

    “Monster horde on the flanks! Gather here!”

    “We’re already struggling to hold the front!”

    “What are the mages doing?!”

    “They’re charging mana, so shut up and hold on!”

    Rock monsters were swarming from the front and sides.

    The adventurers who blocked them began working to protect the evacuated merchants and deal with the monsters.

    Shield-bearers and other frontliners blocked their path, while mobility specialists like me drew the enemies’ aggro.

    And the key to driving enemies away in such battles always lies with those in dealer positions.

    -Boom! Whoosh!

    As mages cleared groups of monsters with area attacks, archers and throwers skilled at handling single targets finished them off.

    Though low-ranked, the adventurers gathered here seemed battle-hardened, calmly responding to the monster attack and reducing their numbers.

    -Crash!!

    But if things had gone that smoothly, I wouldn’t call this world a dark fantasy.

    Soon, the faces of the adventurers who spotted a massive shadow appearing in front showed uniform expressions of shock.

    “Shit, what is that now.”

    -…Growl.

    What appeared with a growl was a monster several times larger than the one I had faced earlier.

    The rock fragments protruding from its body were so sharply cut that they reflected light with a blue glow, emphasizing its presence.

    Not only did it tear through the forest trees as it appeared, but it also pulverized a carriage it collided with, displaying its might…

    “Shield-bearers guard the front, the rest take out the ones coming from the sides!”

    “Don’t be ridiculous!! How are we supposed to block a monster like that…”

    “Eek! If you won’t block it, get out of the way! I’ll blast that thing with my magic!!”

    A belligerent mage stepped forward through the panicking frontliners.

    Then, gathering mana in the staff he held, he began creating a massive sphere of electricity in front of him.

    “Die, you monster!! Taste the power of my ultimate magic that I spent my entire fortune to learn!”

    -Rumble, crash!

    The fired lightning struck its target.

    As smoke spread in all directions from the impact, the backliners who couldn’t stand his impulsive action grimaced and began gathering their strength.

    “That crazy bastard, really!”

    “Damn it, I don’t care anymore! Let’s throw everything we’ve got!!”

    As if saying “what’s done is done,” they concentrated their fire on a single point, causing thick smoke to spread.

    Amidst this, one adventurer who was watching tensely with wide eyes murmured quietly:

    “Did we get it?”

    -Thud!

    The massive body collapsed where the smoke cleared.

    The monster that had displayed such an imposing presence until now was now shattered miserably and convulsing.

    Anyone could see it was a corpse experiencing rigor mortis after death.

    “We got it!”

    “Great! These things are weaker than we thought! They’re just hard on the outside but completely hollow inside!”

    “Let’s wipe them all out!!”

    The monster ambush was resolved more easily than expected.


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