Ch.3939. Conclusion

In just one day, I had experienced a truly eventful series of incidents.

Conrad and his men, the mysterious one-eyed creature, and even the Minotaur. None of them were easy opponents. Though I only properly fought the Minotaur.

At any rate, no one died or got injured, so we managed to overcome the crisis relatively smoothly.

Is this what they call having good fortune? No. This was more like a miraculous encounter. Not only did we survive, but I also gained an immense amount of new divine power.

Suddenly, Kaordix’s words came to mind.

The more hardships you overcome, the stronger you become, like steel.

It was truly so. Along with the reward from the Steel Heart, the total energy absorbed when shattering the crystal sphere was beyond imagination.

Perhaps now I could use holy flames with much greater power than before. Naturally, I’d be able to maintain it for a longer time too.

‘I should experiment with it.’

I resolved to focus on training for a while once I returned to the inn.

Rex cleared his thoughts and turned his head.

Though the crisis was over, not all problems had been solved.

“Yakof.”

Harald opened his mouth with a gloomy expression. His gaze, filled with complex emotions, swept over Yakof.

In any organization or group, punishment for traitors was severe. The excuse of being deceived no longer worked. Since he had ultimately sided with Conrad even after all circumstances were revealed, it became all the more difficult to simply let him go.

Yakof couldn’t be spared.

He had to… die.

Harald had to kill the brother he had respected all his life with his own hands. It wasn’t something he could entrust to someone else. Of course, everyone had agreed to accept Yakof. But ultimately, the one who made the decision was Harald, the party leader.

Therefore, the responsibility lay with him.

‘I must end this.’

Harald grimaced and clenched his fist. He squeezed so hard that his nails dug into his palm, drawing blood. Before he could even realize it, sorrow pushed away the physical pain.

He tried his best to suppress his emotions and remain calm, but somehow it wasn’t working as well as he’d hoped.

Just then.

“Cough!”

At the sudden sound of coughing, everyone shifted their gaze. Yakof, who had been unconscious all this time, was looking around with a pained expression.

It would be difficult to say he looked fine, even as a polite lie. His entire body was covered in blood, his chest was caved in as if bones were broken, and blue bruises marked him everywhere.

Yakof coughed up blood and spoke with difficulty.

“…I’m sorry.”

Harald bit his lip firmly and replied in a resolute tone.

“It’s already too late.”

“I suppose so…”

Yakof sighed with a resigned expression.

It was obvious what the situation was. He had seen Conrad and his men die. After that, he had lost consciousness, and when he woke up, the Minotaur was nowhere to be seen.

Someone, though he didn’t know who, had defeated that terrifying monster.

Yakof tried to get up but collapsed again due to a piercing pain in his heart. As he groaned and placed his hand on the ground.

Suddenly, a palm with distinct calluses was extended before him.

Yakof blankly raised his head.

Piercingly blue eyes were looking at him with a gaze tangled in complex emotions.

The moment he faced Rex, Yakof felt a surge of self-loathing and shame for some reason.

‘I…’

He silently repeated an excuse no one would hear.

He had only wanted to save him. Matthias, his son suffering from a terrible fever. The symptoms of his limbs gradually rotting away were like a curse. Day by day, his condition worsened rather than improved.

A newborn should naturally cry day and night, but his son was as quiet as if dead. His wheezing breath was so faint it seemed it might disappear at any moment.

His fragile body often vomited even pale milk, unable to keep it down. Without proper nutrition, his body couldn’t be healthy. His son repeatedly fainted, unable to endure the pain.

Then one day, while carefully changing his diaper so as not to wake his son who had finally fallen asleep, Yakof saw it. The tiny hand gripping his finger.

A teardrop fell onto it. Transparent tears were already streaming down his cheeks.

What sin had this tiny life committed to suffer so much?

He felt nothing but resentment. For the gods who created this world, for the world itself, for everything.

The burning despair in his heart could only be soothed with alcohol. While downing strong drinks one after another, they came to him.

‘Do you want to save your son?’

They were suspicious people. Yakof, having been an adventurer for many years, immediately realized these people had committed countless murders.

It didn’t matter.

Yakof willingly took Conrad’s extended hand.

If he could grasp even the slightest hope, he was prepared to sell his soul to the devil…

And now here he was.

Conrad was nothing but a vile villain, and he had died pathetically. Perhaps he never intended to save his son in the first place.

In the end, it was the common fate of a fool.

Yakof shook his head, refusing Rex’s support, and slowly looked around. He saw people staring at him with expressionless faces.

Yakof stood up and limped toward Harald.

“Harald. May I ask for one favor?”

“Amazing. You still have ways to disappoint me? If you’re going to beg for your life—”

“That’s not it.”

Death didn’t frighten him at all.

Yakof pulled out a dagger from his pocket. Immediately, people widened their eyes and pointed their weapons, while Harald frowned and scolded.

“…What are you doing?”

Yakof silently handed the dagger to Harald. Then he grabbed Harald’s arm and brought it to his chest. As if telling him to stab his heart right there.

Harald exclaimed with a fierce expression.

“If you think this will make me feel guilty, you’re mistaken.”

“I know.”

Yakof replied with an indifferent expression. Seeing this, memories of their time together flashed through Harald’s mind.

After hesitating for a moment, Harald asked in a subdued voice.

“…What is this favor?”

Yakof answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“My family.”

Death wasn’t frightening.

“I know it’s shameless. I’m not asking for much. Just check if my son, Matthias, is doing well.”

He was only worried about the family he would leave behind.

Yakof knew that once he was gone, his son wouldn’t last long either.

Still, as a father, he hoped his son would hold on as long as possible.

Yakof pulled out a crumpled note from his pocket.

“This has the names of people who owe me money. If you mention my name, they’ll repay their debts. Please give half to my family. The rest is just a pittance, but you can keep it.”

“I don’t need it.”

“…I see.”

Yakof smiled bitterly. He had committed an unforgivable sin. It was no surprise to be rejected.

However, contrary to expectations, Harald snatched the note.

“You should listen to people until the end. I don’t need this pittance. But doesn’t your family need it? I’ll deliver it all without taking a single coin.”

Though it was a unilateral decision made without any discussion, no one objected.

The group, while not showing it, vaguely felt that Yakof was different from Conrad.

Delivering money wasn’t such a difficult favor, and it was well within the realm of possibility. If anything, it was a final act of mercy for Yakof.

Yakof looked at Harald with a relieved expression.

Having received an affirmative answer, it was time to finish what remained.

Yakof said.

“Thank you.”

“Farewell.”

Harald murmured softly.

“…Brother.”

Thud. For an instant, Yakof’s pupils dilated and his body stiffened. The pain was brief, followed by eternal rest that took Yakof to some distant place. His eyes slowly closed, and his legs gave way. Harald caught his collapsing upper body with both hands.

“……”

A heavy silence descended.

For a while, Harald silently held Yakof.

People just watched the two with complicated expressions.

***

Originally, the goal of this expedition was to conquer five or six rooms in the depths, but no one wanted to stay in this wretched space any longer.

However, no one dared to speak up first, as they were all watching Harald’s reaction.

“Let’s go.”

After a long silence, Harald broke the ice. His tone was devoid of any emotion, flat and dry. That made it seem all the more painful.

People had only met Yakof today, but they knew what he meant to Harald. They had been through thick and thin together for over a decade. At this point, they were practically family. Having killed him with his own hands, the depth of his grief was beyond imagination.

But they didn’t offer any consolation.

Sometimes, sincere consideration was more important than casual words. This was a truth that only comrades who truly valued each other could understand.

The cavern was as quiet as if a storm had just passed.

Perhaps because they had experienced such a great crisis, people felt a stronger bond between them. It was as if they were bound together by a long thread.

Rex glanced at Yakof and cautiously asked.

“What will you do with the body?”

“…I’ll carry it. Once we get out of the dungeon, I’ll either hold a funeral or bury him in a cemetery.”

Harald slung his backpack to the front and hoisted Yakof’s body onto his back.

With that, they were ready to depart.

The group moved toward the exit of the room. Along the way, they collected the equipment left by Conrad and his men. Of course, they ignored the bodies. They would soon rot and crumble, but what did it matter? It wasn’t their concern.

Before long, people stopped in front of a massive door. The door had been firmly shut since the Minotaur was summoned. To know if it was unlocked, they had to try opening it directly.

Rex, who was standing at the front, reached for the doorknob but suddenly paused, feeling an unsettling sensation on his skin.

“What’s wrong?”

Cloe asked with a puzzled expression.

He wasn’t composed enough to explain calmly. Rex stepped back without saying anything. Almost simultaneously, a long blade protruded through the thick door.

Slash!

Earlier, the door hadn’t even been scratched despite the men’s pounding, but now the blade moved through it as smoothly as cutting through water. The door instantly split into large pieces and collapsed with a crash.

People gaped in astonishment. A dazzling light pushed back the darkness and approached. There was a clanking metallic sound, and then a knight in full plate armor appeared.

“Hmm?”

The knight leisurely looked around the interior and tilted his head.

He had rushed here sensing an eerie energy, but upon arrival, there was nothing but a group of adventurers?

Suddenly, his attention was caught by a young boy with blonde hair. An interesting light seeped into his indifferent eyes.

People were so stunned by the sudden destruction of the seemingly impenetrable door and the appearance of the formidable knight that they couldn’t say a word. When the light emanating from the knight touched their bodies, they found themselves breathless, like mice before a cat.

‘What’s going on?’

Rex was relatively free from the influence of the light. However, he was equally perplexed. If the knight would just say something, he might understand what was happening, but the knight only stared at Rex.

“Hello, sir.”

When Rex reluctantly greeted him, strangely, the eyes visible through the helmet visor became even more intense.

Just as an uneasy thought that he might have encountered trouble began to rise in his mind, the knight finally blurted out.

“Not bad.”

“…Pardon?”

Rex couldn’t help but ask. He couldn’t understand what context this statement came from.

The knight, seeming to realize his mistake, awkwardly cleared his throat and turned his head.

“I sensed an unusual energy from this place. I came to check what was happening. Can you explain?”

Rex nodded willingly. It was a reasonable explanation. The unusual energy must have referred to the one-eyed creature. On the other hand, he was amazed at the knight’s keen senses. It was hard to believe he had noticed the anomaly from such a distance.

‘As expected of a knight.’

Looking closely, he recognized the knight as someone he had seen once at the temple before entering the dungeon today.

Setting aside his thoughts, Rex began to explain the whole story to the knight. To avoid any misunderstandings, he explained everything in great detail from beginning to end.

“…That’s all.”

The explanation was complete. Rex caught his breath and swallowed dryly. His mouth felt parched after speaking without a break.

The knight listened to the story quietly without adding any comments.

And when Rex finished, he said in a meaningful voice.

“Your name is Rex, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Rex. Become my disciple.”

“Pardon?”