episode_0078

“…It’s truly pitiful.”

After defeating Gwangryong, we thoroughly searched the village in hopes of finding any possible survivors, but sadly, besides the girl, there were no survivors to be found.

All that remained in the village were traces left behind by the disaster that had swept through.

By the time the search was over, it was quite late to move on, so we decided to camp in the ruined village.

Tap! Tap!

Late at night.

As I watched the quietly burning bonfire amidst the ruins, I felt a complex and subtle mix of emotions.

“Is this the end?”

The events I had seen in the original work, the knowledge I possessed, seemed to have reached their conclusion here.

Although the sequence had been completely chaotic, the villains from the original work had somehow all been subjugated.

Unless something unexpected happened, our future life would only involve living on the outskirts of the north, treading lightly.

“It’s a good thing. Yes, it’s definitely a good thing, but…”

Why does it feel so empty?

Looking at my sleeping comrades after a strenuous day, I couldn’t help but smile wistfully.

“Human emotions are truly fascinating.”

These comrades, who I couldn’t stand when we first met.

Karl, who annoyed me with his constant nagging.

Alain, who vowed to condemn me someday with a fierce gaze.

From the alluring combat enthusiast lizard, Louis, to the muscle-bound pig, Jang, who only found appeal in his sleek tail.

We had promised to leave as soon as the disaster was resolved, and though we had vowed, strangely enough, I felt a sense of regret as we prepared to part ways.

“Well, it’ll be fun for a few days, and then we can part without regrets.”

Where there is meeting, there is also parting.

After finishing my thoughts and stretching, preparing to get ready for bed, Karl, who had been fidgeting for a while, approached me.

His face seemed to indicate he had something to say.

Considering just brushing it off due to fatigue, I decided to spend time with Karl since we didn’t have much time left together anyway.

“What’s up?”

Yawning, I asked, and Karl awkwardly smiled before responding.

“Just… bored. Will you keep me company for a bit?”

“A witch’s time is precious… especially right before dreaming.”

“If you come to the island, I’ll treat you well, Lady. How about that? Is this offer good enough?”

“…You sure know how to flatter. So, what did you want to talk about?”

Sensing a long conversation ahead, I took out some jerky from Cortas’ bag.

It’s a shame we don’t have alcohol, but well, having something to eat should make conversations less dull.

Piercing the jerky onto a skewer and starting to roast it over the fire, Karl began speaking alongside.

“It ended more blandly than I thought, don’t you think?”

“It did. It ended abruptly like roasting beans in a lightning storm as soon as the giant entered.”

“…Wasn’t the method the issue? Honestly, without that, our defeat would have been certain.”

“It was chaotic, heh heh… That scene might haunt my dreams for a lifetime, you know?”

As always, our first conversation was light as a feather.

Recalling the events of the day, jokes and laughter created a comfortable atmosphere.

As the atmosphere began to relax, Karl held a skewer in his hand and posed a question to me.

“So, what are the plans for the future? We’ve covered the south, west, north, and central areas. Are we heading east now?”

“Nope. We’re just going to hang around the island for a few days and then head to Springfield. Those lunatics in the east will figure things out themselves.”

“Yeah, helping them has become too much. They go into seizures at the mere sight of a witch; how could we possibly help there?”

“Helping aside, there was doubt from the start whether there was a disaster in the homeland, but anyway, there’s no reason to go east. Unless someone threatens with a knife.”

Even if someone were to threaten with a knife, he simply intended to kill the one making the threat.

Isn’t the suffering I’ve endured enough? That so-called saintess who only appears in the setting must have suffered less than me, truly.

I will never interfere in worldly affairs again! From now on, I’ll just lounge around in the mansion of the Grand Duke!

Until this damn world perishes!

With a firm attitude, he shook his head resolutely, and the knife-wielding guy smiled faintly as he popped a piece of jerky into his mouth.

After chewing thoughtfully, he let out a long sigh.

“My heart, still not willing to accept it?”

“Cough?!”

Chewing and swallowing the jerky made it audible to me.

“Gulp gulp… Ugh…”

A painful sensation in my throat made tears well up in my eyes.

Knife, you bastard!

You son of a bitch…! Why ask that when I’m trying to swallow?!

Glaring fiercely with axe-like eyes, I received a drink straight from the knife guy.

“…Here, water.”

“Gulp gulp, thanks… gulp…”

As I drank the water he offered, I felt some relief in my stomach.

I’ve thought about it several times… This guy, the knife, seems to lack awareness in strange situations.

While usually so perceptive, why doesn’t that quick wit work in a place like this?

Silently striking his back, I took a deep breath.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

Then, with a somewhat serious demeanor, I questioned him.

“Why are you so obsessed with me?”

I’ve always wondered.

The original protagonist, the knife—or rather, Karshian—why does he cling to me so relentlessly?

Just hearing “love at first sight” and the reasons for liking me honestly had some puzzling aspects.

Of course, even for an empire where love is powerful enough to lead to destruction, behaving so well towards a woman you just met is a bit strange.

Even if she saved you from a grim reality and earned bonus points, persistently following and risking lives multiple times to help is certainly suspicious.

I stared at him, urging a response, and Karshian, seeming resigned, shook his head.

“There was a boy.”

He began to tell me a short story.

—–

There was a boy born into an extraordinary noble family.

He was braver and more talented than anyone his age, always arrogant due to his exceptional abilities.

Therefore, the boy often engaged in reckless behavior.

Sneaking out beyond the estate to fight monsters or raiding bandit hideouts for purification.

These were definitely not actions befitting a boy his age, but the boy’s talents made them possible.

Moreover, there was no real danger.

Unbeknownst to the boy, the family’s knights always followed him, prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.

Victory was inevitable, and the boy’s arrogance only grew stronger.

When his arrogance reached its limit, an incident occurred.

The boy thought.

If he, who effortlessly defeated the Forest King and ogres, could enter the Abyss, wouldn’t that be fine?

Of course, it was correct that it would be fine. The minimum condition for entering the Abyss was simply defeating the ogres single-handedly.

The boy imagined.

If he gained experience in the Abyss, how much stronger would he become?

Although he couldn’t match his father, the empire’s strongest knight, he could at least grow to the point of fighting on par with his siblings.

The greater the difficulty, the steeper the growth curve.

The boy made up his mind to head towards the Southern Great Forest, known as the most vicious of the Four Great Magical Realms.

And the opportunity to head to the Southern Great Forest came at an unexpected moment.

Being treated as a prominent figure in the family, it wasn’t easy for the boy to run away.

When the family’s vigilance loosened during the annual family event, seizing the chance, the boy headed straight to the Southern Great Forest.

Thanks to him, the family was turned upside down, but the arrogant boy foolishly paid no attention to it at all.

He had his reasons.

If he were to grow in the Magical Realm and return, no one would dare say anything.

Of course, that wasn’t wrong, but the boy who had only lived in a well didn’t know how terrifying the world could be.

Eventually, disaster struck.

Surrounded by countless monsters, the boy could finally realize how feeble he was.

Having single-handedly slain the Forest King, the Ogre, would his prowess be acknowledged in the Magical Realm?

Bullshit.

The boy began to pay the price for his arrogance.

To the creatures of the forest, this frail boy was nothing more than a tasty morsel, and thus, the boy was quickly torn apart by the monsters.

Standing on the brink of death, the boy regretted.

This was undeniably a pathetic end that everyone would mock.

Why did I do such a stupid thing?

If only I had listened more carefully to my father and mother, I wouldn’t have met such a pathetic end here.

The boy pleaded desperately.

Please save me, any being, I will repay your kindness throughout my life if you save me.

Did the boy’s desperation reach Agathon? Someone appeared before the dying boy.

And the boy saw it.

Monstrous beings, so threatening, being effortlessly swept away by something.

The boy wanted to express his gratitude.

But his body and mind were not in a state to do so.

In the end, the boy couldn’t even say thank you and lost consciousness just like that.