Ch.418Chapter 418 – Warrior’s Sacred Ground (2)

After that, there were no monster attacks, as if someone had tipped us off.

More precisely, thanks to that someone who slightly altered our direction ahead of Noah’s path, we were able to avoid two potential attacks.

At first, Noah was puzzled, looking at that someone with surprised eyes when we avoided the first attack. The next time, he gave them a somewhat resentful look as if to say, “Then why am I even here as a guide?” Of course, that person pretended not to notice Noah’s reaction and stuck close to me instead.

And then, after darkness fell and we walked a bit further.

A strangely shaped stone appeared before us, illuminated by our lantern light.

“…We’ve arrived.”

Noah quietly remarked, looking at the rock encircled by rope. Behind that rock, two stone pillars stood tall like an entrance.

“Welcome, everyone.”

Noah stood before us, bowing slightly as if he were the host of this place.

“This is the Warrior’s Sanctuary.”

-“Moo!”

As if responding to Noah’s words, Moo let out a loud cry.

Everyone’s faces brightened slightly, as if the tension had eased now that we’d finally reached our first destination.

“It was quite a treacherous journey.”

Eve said to me with a smile.

“Though the last part was comfortable thanks to you.”

“I couldn’t see everything that would happen at will, but when I did see something, I couldn’t just keep it to myself, could I?”

Eve said with a small laugh.

“I’ll let you know whenever I see the path ahead.”

“Thank you.”

For a moment, Eve and I locked eyes. Then we both glanced at each other’s lips. If outsiders like Noah and Sonya hadn’t been present, we probably would have kissed without hesitation.

A bit of a shame.

“By the way, this looks more like the entrance to a sanctuary rather than the sanctuary itself. Don’t we need to go further in?”

“Of course. We just need to pass between those rocks to enter.”

Noah replied to Beatrice with a smile. Then, looking at me, he added:

“It might be a bit tight, but we can get the carriage through as well. Monsters occasionally prowl around here, so if we leave Moo out here, he definitely won’t be able to rest comfortably.”

“Moo, be careful going in.”

-“Mooooo!”

At Eve’s words, Moo responded energetically and pulled the carriage on his own. Without anyone directing him, Moo perfectly navigated through the rock crevice and began pulling the carriage forward.

“Is that really an animal? Isn’t it actually a person who turned into a beast?”

“Learn some manners, Sonya.”

While Noah teased an amazed Sonya, who retaliated by thumping his chest a few times, we could see a slightly sloped path beyond the pillars that Moo had entered.

We began walking, following behind Moo.

Rocks stood at regular intervals on both sides, giving the path a corridor-like feel, and the path continued in a gentle curve along a mild slope.

Though we were clearly in a cold snow field and should have felt the chill, for some reason the path felt refreshing rather than cold as we ascended. And finally, as the path ended and we passed through another rock crevice.

We entered a flat area filled with snow-covered rock formations.

“…It has a unique feeling.”

Chris quietly remarked as she surveyed the surroundings.

“Unique?”

“Yes. It’s hard to explain, but there’s a refreshing sensation that makes me feel at ease, a kind of energy?”

Chris said as she looked around.

“I also sense something like a will. That is, a will that doesn’t tolerate the presence of unauthorized beings or demons… how should I put it?”

“A will, huh.”

“This will seems to have made the demons form groups to attack adventurers… almost like it’s testing them… if that’s the case, this energy is… no, that can’t be right…”

Chris tilted her head in confusion. It seemed she had a hunch about something but couldn’t confirm whether it was correct.

Watching her, Noah smiled and said:

“In any case, it is a sacred energy, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

Chris nodded in response. Satisfied with that, Noah turned his gaze away from her and looked at me with a question:

“Well then, would you like to explore the sanctuary now? I can guarantee it’s safe since there are no monsters.”

The very reason Noah had come to us was to guide me to this sanctuary. So it seemed best to get to the business quickly, but…

“Let’s rest first.”

I said, glancing slightly at my companions. Although we had avoided battles with monsters toward the end, it didn’t change the fact that we had been fighting monsters continuously until then.

It was night now, and we hadn’t even had dinner yet. Moreover, this wasn’t the final destination of our journey.

It would be good to rest comfortably tonight.

“Since this is flat ground, it’ll be easy to use the carriage to create a resting place.”

“There are trees nearby, so if we look carefully, we might find some dry branches. If necessary, we can also take out the firewood from inside the carriage.”

“Ah, I’ll prepare the meal.”

Eve and Sera immediately began to move. Beatrice and Chris also started moving to help them, and Sia approached me with a small smile, saying:

“We’ve been constantly fighting monsters even in the middle of the night while traveling, so a night without monster attacks is precious, isn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

Sia smiled, saying it was a good idea. With Sia behind me, I turned to Noah and said:

“Is that alright? If you have urgent business, I apologize.”

“Not at all. My purpose was to bring you here. You’re not saying you’re leaving either. In fact, if you had said you were really going, I was about to recommend that you rest first.”

After saying that, Noah narrowed his eyes slightly and continued:

“Especially since we don’t know what might happen next.”

It sounded like he knew something was going to happen. I decided to subtly inquire:

“Is there some kind of trap?”

“Let me tell you, there are no traps or tests or anything like that from me. Many beastkin have confirmed this. For beastkin, this place is a proof that they’ve safely crossed the snow field, and the goal is to return immediately after arriving. They don’t come here for sightseeing.”

Therefore, Noah quietly said:

“Since the Sword Saint specifically instructed me to bring you here, there’s a high possibility that there’s something, and that it hasn’t been tampered with yet.”

Since the beastkin wouldn’t have shown much interest, if there was some mechanism in place, it would likely still be operational.

“I’ll need to be careful then.”

“Yes.”

Noah narrowed his eyes and quietly said:

“Rest well today. Be fully prepared. If nothing happens, we can just laugh it off, but if you get careless and get hurt in a dangerous situation, it’s no laughing matter.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

I nodded at Noah’s advice. Satisfied, he returned to his smiling face and said:

“I smell something delicious. Shall we head back since we’re hungry?”

“K-san~!”

As if she had been waiting for Noah’s words, Sera waved at me.

I could see meat boiling in a pot, accompanied by a slightly spicy aroma.

+

Several hours after dinner and preparations were complete.

We had decided to take turns standing watch in pairs, and were taking turns resting.

Excluding Sera and Chris who had relatively weaker stamina, Eve and Beatrice went first, followed by Noah and Sonya, and then it was my turn.

While I was quietly putting wood into the fire and stirring the embers with a poker to keep the flame alive, occasionally glancing at Sia who was silently sharpening her sword.

Perhaps it was too quiet. While sharpening her sword with a whetstone, Sia spoke to me:

“You can go in and sleep if you’re tired.”

“Suddenly?”

I asked, slightly surprised by Sia’s suggestion to go in when we had just started our watch. Sia continued without giving me a direct look:

“Your physical condition isn’t normal, and you’ve been fighting without proper rest all the way here. You fought at the very front.”

Now that she had finished focusing on the part she was working on, Sia took her eyes off the sword and looked at me.

“Besides, the morning sun will rise in a few hours. You should rest since we don’t know what might happen inside the sanctuary.”

“So you’re going to stand watch alone?”

“Who do you think I am? The rest I’ve had so far is enough.”

Despite her slightly tired eyes, Sia smiled and said:

“Go in and rest. Reassure those who are worried about your health.”

“I’m fine.”

I quietly declined Sia’s suggestion.

“I’m the one who’s rested enough.”

“You shouldn’t say that with a voice that sounds tired.”

“And you shouldn’t say that with eyes that look tired.”

After quietly responding to Sia, I spoke again:

“I appreciate your consideration, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable resting while leaving someone tired behind. So I’ll just stand watch to keep my mind at ease.”

“You’re really stubborn.”

Sia said that and then chuckled. I quietly replied to her:

“When I’m awake, the people inside can sleep more safely. I don’t intend to refuse that.”

“…Anyway. Such a wall.”

Sia let out a small sigh. I grinned at her and asked:

“Or is it that you don’t like standing watch with me?”

“I don’t like that you don’t listen to your elders. But as a comrade, I can only say thank you.”

Sia said with a small smile.

“For those few hours until the morning sun rises, shall we tired folks lean on each other and share stories? …Well, if I were to tell you my adventure stories, you might fall asleep, so I can only tell simple stories.”

“Conversely, I have no past stories to tell.”

Since my past was shattered into pieces and lost. Perhaps knowing this situation from what others had told her, Sia said in a small voice:

“Don’t torment yourself thinking you’ve lost your past.”

Sia looked at me and said:

“You already have connections you’ve made here, and stories you’ve woven with those connections. That’s already become your excellent past. In fact, don’t you have enough intention to share your future with those connections?”

Sia glanced at the carriage as she spoke. I quietly nodded to her, and she grinned and said:

“That’s enough. Don’t be unnecessarily depressed because you’ve lost your past. You already hold an excellent past in your hands. Besides, who’s to say you’ll never find it again?”

“True.”

I smiled at Sia and spoke. Then, after thinking for a moment, I quietly said:

“Sia. There’s something I’m curious about.”

“What is it?”

“Do you observe me a lot usually?”

I asked Sia without any particular intention. Sia thought for a moment, and then, as if realizing something, she cleared her throat slightly and said:

“Hmm, ahem. It seems so. But why do you ask?”

“No, it’s just that you seem to say such things because you observe me more than I expected.”

I quietly told Sia:

“How should I put it… I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a… no, an older sister.”

I almost inadvertently offended Sia. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to notice.

“I wouldn’t know. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any siblings, so I don’t know what it would actually be like.”

“I see.”

“But I would say it’s similar. I have a personal fondness for you. Ah, don’t misunderstand. It’s more of a fondness for you as a person rather than romantic interest.”

Sia hastily added and quietly continued:

“Sometimes I see my past self overlapping with you. More precisely, yes. It reminds me of the time when I lost my homeland and family and was wandering.”

“Why?”

“When I think about it, I was similar to you back then. Having lost all the happy past I had, I was thrown alone into a field with no connections, holding a sword that didn’t even fit well in my hand.”

Hearing Sia’s words, I found myself nodding unconsciously. It was certainly similar. Me, who lost my past and was thrown into a place with no connections after being kidnapped to this world. Sia, who lost her past with her family and was thrown alone into a field.

“I don’t intend to boast about my wounds, but the difference is that you don’t know whether you’ve actually lost it or not and there’s a possibility of finding it again, while I lost mine forever with no way to recover it.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for? A lot of time has passed, and for me, it’s just an event that I can only reflect on as ‘such a thing happened.'”

After saying that, Sia added quietly:

“Anyway, back then, my comrades who approached me were so precious that I always prioritized them in my actions. …That’s why I thought you and I overlapped a bit.”

“I see.”

“Since we’re on the topic, let me remind you of a fact you probably already know.”

Sia looked at me and said:

“If your hearts truly connect, your comrades think of you as much as you think of them. Just as you prioritize their well-being, they will prioritize yours. Remember that taking care of your own peace is the way to take care of theirs.”

I nodded slightly at Sia’s words. Sia smiled and continued:

“This is something I only realized long after becoming the Demon King. …And when I became king, my relationship with my comrades changed to that of ruler and subject, so now there’s a bit of distance… Anyway, know that you’re fortunate. You have a senior like me who can remind you of facts you might have unconsciously forgotten.”

I chuckled at Sia’s words. With a smile, I opened my mouth:

“Yes, thank you. Senior.”

“So formal. Just be comfortable with me. …Ah, right.”

Sia looked at me again.

“As I said earlier, I’ve let the loss of my past flow away in the river of time, and I no longer feel sadness about it.”

“Are you saying I’ll be like that too, so don’t worry too much?”

“No, the opposite. Please cherish the pain you’re feeling now.”

Sia quietly said:

“Only those who know pain and sadness can struggle harder to avoid repeating it. Occasionally, there are those who try to let go of everything because of that pain. In fact, you and I have seen such a person. But if that happens, they also lose sight of what they should fight to protect. So cherish the fact that you’re still young, and that you can feel pain more clearly because you haven’t lost too much yet.”

Sia looked at me and said:

“Don’t be ashamed of your fear. Don’t consider sadness as shame.”

A slight light gleamed in Sia’s eyes.

“Remember that your struggle to avoid the pain of loss is your true worth.”

I nodded slightly at Sia’s words. It seemed a bit like an awkward statement, but at the same time, I found myself nodding.

For some reason, it felt like words I would never forget.

So Sia and I looked at each other and smiled slightly. And the next moment.

Sia and I changed our expressions and drew our weapons.

“So there, who are you?”

We quickly reacted to the presence we had been sensing for some time.

The presence was felt from inside the sanctuary. Something was watching us.

[I was just going to listen and move on, but I got caught?]

The tone didn’t sound regretful at all. And as if it were a prize, the unidentified something slightly revealed itself. No, it didn’t reveal itself.

What was revealed through the bonfire’s light was a white ball of light.

The light approached us.

[Wait, shall we talk for a bit?]

With those words.

The light swallowed both Sia and me at once.