TEOCH 10

I carefully placed my hand over Tristan’s pale hand. As I drew purification energy from my fingertips, a faint light began to glow from Tristan’s fingertips in response, as if reacting to mine. Tristan looked at the light with a curious expression. The other companions did the same.

“The gods have bestowed a blessing upon me. It’s to aid you all in this expedition.”

“That is truly fortunate, Your Majesty. The gods are indeed watching over us.”

“Indeed. I was genuinely worried that I might become a burden to you all, but thankfully, that concern has lessened somewhat. If I can be of even slight help to you, that would be ideal…”

“Please don’t say such things, Your Majesty. Even without the gods’ blessing, you are our king. How could you possibly be a burden to us?”

“Thank you for saying that, Rikiel.”

The companions’ faces were noticeably brighter than before upon hearing this unexpected news. The surprise that their king had received a divine blessing and the expectation that the expedition might become a bit easier shone in their eyes. I looked at their expressions, trying to muster a sense of relief.

Yes, this was truly something to be grateful for. The divine blessing bestowed upon Tristan would not only aid in clearing the game but also provide him with substantial strength. It was a far better situation than having no skills at all.

If Tristan had been reduced to a mere decorative figure without any abilities, the impact wouldn’t have been limited to combat situations. In the Demon Realm, those without skills were weeded out.

In the early stages of the expedition, people might flatter each other with titles like noble knight or great wizard, but as the expedition progressed, the incompetent were naturally ignored and ostracized, regardless of their rank in the human world.

Being a king wouldn’t make much difference. In fact, it could lead to even harsher treatment. Why should we endure this suffering to find your spouse? If it weren’t for your incompetence, we wouldn’t have had to come to this world… All the resentment and malice built up from the harsh life might be poured entirely onto his heart.

If, by some chance, he were to face such treatment, how much would he suffer? How deeply would he be consumed by sorrow? He was someone who deserved respect. He shone only when acknowledged and loved by all. And he needed to shine for me to endure.

“It’s definitely a good thing, no doubt about it…”

Yet, it felt ominous. I tried desperately to shake off the growing unease, but it wasn’t easy. I didn’t want to ruin the barely improved atmosphere, and the thoughts were too dark to dwell on, so I wanted to ignore them. But once a thought took hold in my mind, it wouldn’t let go easily.

“This game is never lenient. There’s no way it would give such a great skill without raising the difficulty.”

It might be overly paranoid, but this game was structured in a way that you couldn’t survive without such paranoia. Having two people with purification abilities could also mean that the difficulty was set so that we’d be wiped out instantly if we didn’t fully utilize both of our abilities.

Most games adjust difficulty this way. They give benefits but take away other advantages or abnormally increase the overall difficulty. Maybe each stage’s guardian would appear in pairs. The thought sent a shiver of fear through me. It was a scenario I didn’t want to imagine, even in my dreams.

Above all, the most worrying thing was Tristan’s second skill. The existence of a hidden skill, whose name I couldn’t even see, made me even more anxious because I couldn’t tell if it was good or bad. If the skill was essential for clearing the game, I needed to figure out its activation conditions. If it had a detrimental effect on clearing, I had to prevent its activation at all costs.

But right now, it was hard to even decide which direction to take. Logically, the best approach would be to find the skill’s activation conditions, test what happens, and use it as a lesson for the next playthrough…

“Mr. Rohan? What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“It’s nothing. I was just thinking about our upcoming schedule.”

Damian’s concerned voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Fortunately, the companions’ attention quickly shifted to the future plans. Rikiel looked at me with a suspicious expression, but since he never liked anything I did, it probably didn’t matter much. If he started nitpicking, it could be troublesome, so I decided to explain the schedule as quickly as possible.

“For now, our task is to scout the surrounding area. It’s most efficient to use this safe zone as a base, scout the surroundings, identify the best travel routes, and then move out in earnest.”

“Indeed. You’re right. The Demon Realm is dangerous, so scouting is better than moving recklessly. This safe zone won’t last forever, will it? Damian said the sky only lasts about ten days.”

“That’s exactly why scouting is necessary. It would be great if we could find another safe zone, but if that’s not possible, we’ll need to find a place uninhabited by monsters to set up another base. It’s best to find a new base before this safe zone disappears.”

As I spoke, I drew a small magic circle on the ground with the tip of my scabbard. The completed circle glowed faintly before vanishing, but the spell itself was cast without issue. Damian, glancing at the circle, said,

“A return circle.”

“Yes. I’ve placed a return spell here, so no matter how far we scout, we can return here whenever we want. Of course, moving multiple people at once requires a larger circle, so it’s not usable in truly dangerous situations, but it prevents us from getting lost and wandering aimlessly. We need to secure at least one base. The journey to the Demon King’s castle isn’t short enough to reach in one go.”

“That’s why a base is important. Hmm, that makes sense.”

“Yes. So I propose we split into two groups for now. Some stay here to rest and guard the base, while others scout and gather information about the surrounding area. While scouting, we can collect useful items for survival. Once we’re accustomed to the Demon Realm and have gathered enough supplies, we might be able to hunt one or two monsters.”

My usual strategy was to spend the first fifteen days scouting for equipment and food, then use the remaining five days to hunt weaker monsters, level up, defeat the stage’s guardian, and move to the next stage. That strategy was based on a 20-day safe zone duration, so it wasn’t suitable now, but there wasn’t a clear alternative either.

Fortunately, my companions agreed with my proposal. We began discussing how to divide the scouting and standby groups. Ideally, we’d rotate based on the situation, but we needed to decide who would scout today.

“Since I’m the only one who can use the return spell right now, I’ll take on scouting for now. Damian, you’re exhausted, so rest today.”

“Yes, my magic hasn’t recovered yet, so I wouldn’t be much help scouting.”

“Then we’ll need someone to look after the wizard. Should I stay? We need to set up a tent anyway.”

“That would be appreciated, Rehas.”

With Damian and Rehas in the standby group, only two people remained. I glanced at Tristan. He’d looked tired earlier, but he seemed fully recovered now, and more importantly, he seemed eager to go. I was also curious about the extent of his purification ability and wanted to go with him.

But before I could speak, Rikiel quickly cut in.

“Then I’ll go scouting with you. Just the two of us.”

“Are you serious, Sir Rikiel?”

“Serious? What’s the problem? The tired stay to guard the base, and those with energy scout. There’s nothing wrong with that logic, is there?”

“The only one too tired to move is Damian. Rehas is staying to look after him and set up the tent. The more people scouting, the safer it is. The Demon Realm is dangerous.”

“Yes, as you say, the Demon Realm is dangerous. But isn’t it more reckless to bring someone who hasn’t fully recovered to such a dangerous place? What if they get hurt?”

“You can’t always scout in peak condition in the Demon Realm. His Majesty, as he is now, can more than pull his weight.”

“Don’t speak carelessly. If even a single scratch appears on His Majesty, can you take responsibility? What can you do with those scrawny arms that have never held a sword?”

“Even I, who’ve never held a sword, can scout. Why couldn’t His Majesty? And I’d throw myself in harm’s way to protect him. You, Sir Rikiel, are the one speaking recklessly.”

If you dare try to take His Majesty, I’ll sew that insolent mouth shut. Rikiel declared this with blazing eyes, glaring at me. I met his gaze without backing down.

As expected, I couldn’t bring myself to like this man. Our incompatibility went beyond mere personality differences.

“Arrogant jerk, does he think I don’t care about him?”

I wasn’t oblivious to Rikiel’s attitude. Even with purification abilities, Tristan was a king. To someone like Rikiel, recklessly including him in the scouting team wouldn’t sit well.

But I wasn’t thoughtless either. If we were truly concerned about Tristan’s safety, we shouldn’t coddle him but help him adapt to the Demon Realm. Others couldn’t protect him forever.

Even in front of Tristan, I didn’t want to yield to this man unconditionally. If I didn’t put him in his place early on, we’d keep clashing over issues like this.

Determined to settle this, I glared at Rikiel. I hadn’t built up proper stats yet, so I’d lose in a physical confrontation, but I had to find a way to break his spirit. I was resolute—until Rehas’s carefree voice came from behind me.

“Have a good trip, Your Majesty!”

Rikiel and I turned around simultaneously. Damian was asleep, his head resting on Rehas’s lap, while Rehas waved at Tristan with a completely relaxed expression. A few dozen meters behind, a familiar blond man was walking.

He had a short sword, likely borrowed from Rehas, at his waist and a decent-looking backpack on his shoulders. Rikiel and I sprinted toward him at almost the same time. Frustratingly, Rikiel was faster.

“What are you doing, Your Majesty?!”

“Hmm? Is the discussion finished now?”

“We were talking about you… I mean, His Majesty! You can’t move so recklessly!”

“But it didn’t seem like you were interested in my opinion. Or am I mistaken?”

Rikiel fell silent, as if at a loss for words. Arriving at Tristan’s side a bit later than Rikiel, I had to struggle to calm my sinking heart. After steadying my panting breath, I spoke with difficulty. Yes, Rikiel wasn’t the only one at fault—I hadn’t done well either. Still.

“If you were planning to scout, you should’ve at least told us. Do you know how startled we were? If Your Majesty went outside the safe zone alone…”

“What are you talking about, Rohan? I was just taking a walk within the safe zone. I planned to return once your discussion was over, but you two are so anxious you don’t even look around. Why not calm down a bit?”

I belatedly looked around. Indeed, Tristan was heading toward the center of the safe zone. In my haste, I hadn’t even noticed which direction he was going. Rikiel was likely the same.

In the end, Rikiel and I could only stare at each other like mute fools. Tristan declared, as if it were obvious, that he would join us for scouting, and Rikiel nodded silently, unable to offer a single counterargument.

Tristan wore his usual gentle smile, but his soft gaze and expression now seemed terrifyingly intense.