TEOCH 17

The procession of spiders continued for quite a while afterward. Fortunately, they didn’t notice our presence and disappeared beyond the northern horizon. I cautiously stood up only when the spiders were reduced to black specks in the distance.

Damian and Rehas didn’t move for a long time even after the spiders had left. They seemed too drained to even utter a word of shock.

“Both of you, get up. We need to continue scouting.”

“…”

“You saw those spiders, so you understand, right? We don’t have time to waste. To defeat such powerful demonic beasts, we need to gather equipment and build our strength no matter what.”

“…”

“Come on, get up. We have three more hours of exploration ahead.”

I deliberately urged them harshly. I could guess how helpless they felt facing an overwhelmingly unbeatable enemy, but that didn’t mean I needed to coddle them like children. I didn’t want to, and it wouldn’t help even if I did.

I simply waited patiently for them. Of the two, who had been staring at the northern horizon with dazed eyes, Rehas spoke first.

“Do we really… have to face that kind of monster?”

I nodded firmly at his drained murmur. He let out a slow sigh and lowered his gaze. His expression showed disbelief. Judging by the shock on his ashen face, it seemed it would take him some time to calm down.

Surprisingly, Damian regained his composure first. He struggled to stand, his body trembling, and I went to support him. After thanking me, he leaned against the rock to catch his breath. His complexion was as poor as Rehas’s, but his expression was incomparably calmer.

“Phew… The demon realm is truly a terrifying place.”

“It is. But compared to the hardships ahead, those things aren’t even that impressive.”

“Well, that makes sense. If we get scared by mere spiders, how are we supposed to defeat the Demon King?”

Damian gave a wry smile and nodded, then approached Rehas, who still hadn’t stood, and carefully helped him up. I watched them and smiled quietly.

That cheerful, good-natured mage always overcame shock first and regained his resolve. Whether it was his naturally optimistic personality or his experience as a mage accustomed to exploring the unknown, I couldn’t say. Regardless, Damian was always the first to recover from mental shocks and encourage his comrades.

Watching Damian support Rehas, I felt a slight sense of relief. I was glad I brought him along. In terms of skills alone, there were plenty of mages more capable than Damian, but none were as resilient or strong-hearted as he was. I genuinely believed he was the closest thing to a true “comrade,” not just a mere companion.

“Come to think of it, it’s getting late. Shall we rest here and have a meal?”

“You’re something else. After seeing that, you can still swallow bread?”

Rehas chuckled in disbelief, and I shrugged lightly, pulling food from my bag. We leaned against the rock, ate a piece of bread and some jerky, and resumed our exploration. By the time the sun set and darkness fell, we had covered a wide area. It was a successful day.

For several days afterward, we continued scouting. Thankfully, the increased difficulty didn’t affect item drop rates, and we managed to collect a decent, if not abundant, amount of items.

The exploration method was simple. One day, I’d go with Damian and Rehas to find useful items, and the next, I’d take Tristan and Rikiel to transport those items back to the safe zone.

It might seem like the work was evenly distributed, but in reality, Damian and Rikiel had it the hardest. Damian had no choice since he needed to use his detection spell, but Rikiel’s struggle was, frankly, self-inflicted. Why?

“Here, Your Majesty, take this…”

“I’ll carry it.”

“Sir Rikiel.”

“I said I’d carry it.”

“Put down what you’re already carrying first, then talk.”

“This much, I can handle just fine. So…”

“Enough, Rikiel. Are you trying to make me look weak?”

I suppressed my rising irritation and handed the helmet to Tristan. Rikiel’s expression wasn’t great, but Tristan stubbornly accepted it. I sighed and started walking, while Rikiel, despite carrying an enormous load, turned his head as if it were nothing.

This argument had been going on for days. Rikiel always insisted on carrying Tristan’s load, and Tristan and I had to struggle to dissuade him. If I hadn’t intervened, Rikiel would have carried everything himself, staggering back to the base.

Thanks to my involvement, Tristan carried some of the load, but Rikiel still took on the most among the three, trudging forward.

On the fifth day of exploration, as we returned to the base, Tristan, finally fed up, raised his voice to scold Rikiel. I sighed and kept walking silently.

“Rikiel, I’ve told you time and again to treat Rohan’s words as my own since we came here. Why do you keep ignoring my wishes?”

“I am Your Majesty’s knight and soldier. In an emergency, I can carry gear far heavier than this and march. I’m only doing what I’m capable of.”

“I have arms and legs too. Is it so unacceptable to you that I want to do what I can? Why do you insist on being so stubborn and causing trouble for Rohan?”

“Causing trouble? Have I ever asked Rohan to carry my load for me? Have I forced him to act as a porter for Your Majesty? And since I am your hands and feet, isn’t me carrying your load the same as you carrying it?”

I suppressed a throbbing headache. Rikiel’s words were frustrating because they were mostly logical. Yes, he wasn’t wrong. He had the best stamina in our group, and as the kingdom’s top knight and soldier, he could march for hours carrying gear several times his body weight.

That amount of load probably didn’t feel heavy to him. But…

“What’s your plan if a demonic beast attacks while you’re being so stubborn? If your overexertion puts the group in danger, who’ll take responsibility?”

“I’ll return the question. What will you do if a beast attacks while Your Majesty is overexerting yourself? I’m just a knight, but Your Majesty is blessed with purification powers. Isn’t it a bigger problem if the one who can harm beasts is too exhausted to act in an emergency?”

“Rikiel.”

“If there’s anything wrong with my words, please correct me. But if not, I ask Your Majesty to respect my intentions.”

Realizing Rikiel was impossible to reason with, I let out a long sigh and shook my head. This was why I didn’t want to deal with him. The knight’s steadfastness in pursuing what he believed was right could turn into rude stubbornness if expressed differently.

His arguments were individually sound, but the overall conclusion was overly rigid and shortsighted. He was skilled at poking holes in others’ logic but offered no better alternatives. While not spoken with ill intent, it didn’t yield positive results either. He was truly hard to sway.

Of course, things were a bit different when his opponent was Tristan.

“I’ll admit your words have no flaws. But when will you realize that your actions make me look foolish?”

“…Your Majesty!”

“If you keep acting like this, how will Rohan see me? As a weakling who can’t do anything and just burdens his younger brother?”

Finally exploding, Tristan shouted, and Rikiel, startled by his sudden reaction, fell silent. It seemed the fact that the usually gentle Tristan had raised his voice at him was quite shocking.

“N, no, that’s not what I meant…”

“Your intentions don’t matter. What matters is the result.”

“I’m sorry. But Your Majesty has already contributed in other ways…”

“No more. Be quiet.”

Other ways? I was curious about what Rikiel meant, but overwhelmed by Tristan’s intensity, he lowered his head and said no more. He silently carried his share of the load and walked ahead, while Tristan let out a heavy sigh and approached me.

“I’m sorry, Rohan. My brother upset you. I tried to resolve it calmly, but I ended up raising my voice.”

“It’s fine. You don’t need to apologize to me, so don’t worry too much.”

“Still, don’t think too badly of him. He’s a good person usually, just overly stubborn. Sometimes he doesn’t even listen to me…”

I gave a wry smile and turned my head. Yes, he’s not a bad person. The problem is that we don’t get along personality-wise. As a mere companion, he’d be fine, but as a comrade, he’s the last type I’d want to deal with.

Still, Tristan handled him fairly well. Whether it was because he knew how to manage his younger brother as the elder or because Rikiel yielded to him, I wasn’t sure yet.

The important thing was that Rikiel at least followed Tristan’s words faithfully. If I had said the same thing, he wouldn’t have backed down so easily. He’d probably have argued that the king has his role, and forcing a nation’s ruler to act as a porter was what truly demeaned him.

‘It’s a good thing Tristan’s here, but if Rikiel keeps acting like this, it’ll be troublesome.’

Rikiel, seemingly deflated by the incident, walked with slumped shoulders and a lowered head. He hadn’t yet realized that his overprotective behavior toward Tristan was the problem and that continuing this way could harm not just himself but Tristan too.

I groaned inwardly, unsure how to convince him. With the difficulty already high, I couldn’t afford to create friction with a comrade. I had to persuade Rikiel somehow… But how?

My head throbbed, and a long sigh escaped. We hadn’t even started proper battles, and minor issues were already tripping us up. The demon realm wasn’t forgiving enough to let us proceed with growing conflict and distrust.

To defeat the area’s guardian, the queen spider, all comrades needed to work in sync. Unless I resolved this conflict with Rikiel, even clearing this stage would be uncertain. I had to find a way.

As the day grew darker and the sweltering ground cooled, we returned to the safe zone. Rikiel dumped the load beside the tent and went inside without a word. Tristan sighed deeply and sat by the campfire with me. His haggard face suggested he was quite exhausted.

“Go inside and rest, Your Majesty.”

“No, I’m fine. I’ll stay here a bit longer…”

“You must be tired from today’s scouting. Get some rest now. It’s better that way. I’ll eat dinner, rest a bit, and then sleep.”

Seeing his sweat-soaked neck and blistered palms, I could somewhat understand why Rikiel was so protective. Despite carrying a load similar to mine, Tristan looked noticeably worn out.

It was only natural. He was used to commanding, not carrying, and these past few days of scouting were likely the most grueling work he’d ever done.

But that didn’t mean I could give Tristan special treatment. Not only would it look bad to others, but in the long run, it would harm him. If he didn’t build stamina by carrying loads now, he’d struggle in future battles. If he wasn’t prepared for that…

“I understand. I’m really sorry about today, Rohan.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry too much and go rest.”

Tristan staggered into the tent, and I sighed lightly as I watched him go. Damian and Rehas, sitting by the campfire, looked at me curiously, but I lacked the energy to explain and silently chewed my bread. They exchanged glances and tilted their heads.