TEOCH 5

“Then, Rohan, are you heading to the temple first?”

“You can speak casually, Damian.”

“How could I dare to do that with the hero who will save the kingdom? I’d rather you spoke casually with me, Rohan. I’m just an insignificant wizard, after all.”

“Isn’t that excessive modesty? If a wizard as promising as you acts like that, others won’t know what to do with themselves. Even the court wizard has high expectations for you.”

“You’re too kind, Your Majesty.”

Damian laughed affably, brushing back his hair. Despite his modest words, he didn’t seem embarrassed; rather, he wore a relaxed expression. It wasn’t arrogance, just a laid-back personality that rarely got nervous or shy. Of course, in the presence of the king, he maintained a certain level of decorum.

As we walked toward the temple, I chatted with the two of them about various things. On the surface, our conversation was just the kind of trivial small talk you’d expect from people meeting for the first time, but watching them made me feel surprisingly at ease.

They wouldn’t remember it at all, but to me, these two were like old friends. I had to restrain myself from acting too familiar with them.

I was especially cautious with Damian. While I always kept a slight distance from Tristan, I’d built a long camaraderie with Damian during our time in the Demon Realm. I wanted to laugh and say, “Why bother with formalities when we’ll end up speaking casually and even trading grumbling insults?” But the Damian of now doesn’t know who I am. There’s no helping it.

While we talked, we arrived at the temple. As always, I asked the priests for holy water, and they gladly obliged. However, when I asked if I could recruit a companion, the response was negative.

“I’m sorry, but it’s very difficult for us to send someone with you. We don’t have anyone suitable. Once a monster passes through an area, no plants or animals can grow there without our priests’ blessings. Every capable priest is currently dispatched to tend to the farmlands.”

“I see. That’s unfortunate. Having a priest as a companion would make things a bit easier.”

“I’m sorry. While rescuing the queen abducted to the Demon Realm is important, if we don’t restore the farmlands now, we won’t avoid famine next year…”

Tristan lowered his head with a bitter expression, but I wasn’t fazed. I hadn’t been able to recruit a priest as a companion in the first playthrough either. I’d only asked this time because of the mention of new companions in the second playthrough, but I hadn’t held high hopes.

In fact, hearing that priests still couldn’t join us was somewhat reassuring. This game always takes as much as it gives. Behind every benefit offered to the player lies an equally vicious difficulty.

If priests could be recruited as companions in the second playthrough, given the game’s nature, there would surely be a stage that’s impossible to clear without fully utilizing them. With that in mind, it felt almost fortunate.

“I’m ashamed I couldn’t be of more help.”

“It’s fine, Your Majesty. We can find other suitable companions. We can’t take everyone to the Demon Realm, after all.”

“That’s true. The passage to the Demon Realm created by the court wizard can’t handle too many people. More people doesn’t always mean better, Your Majesty.”

Our persuasion seemed to work, as Tristan’s expression eased. This man truly has an overwhelming sense of responsibility. It might be expected of a king, but even so, he couldn’t bear to see others suffer because of him.

Perhaps that’s why everyone loves him… As my expression began to soften with such stray thoughts, Damian continued with a smile.

But what he said next was something I hadn’t anticipated.

“Five people, exactly. No more can go to the Demon Realm. So, you’ll need to choose your companions with that in mind.”

“Five is only natural… Wait, what did you say, Damian?!”

Without thinking, I grabbed Damian’s shoulders. The stunned wizard’s eyes darted around in surprise. Tristan grabbed my shoulder in alarm, but even with his intervention, I couldn’t calm down. Five people? Did he just say only five people can go to the Demon Realm?

Not four?

“Yes, th-that’s right. Only five people, including you, Rohan, can enter the Demon Realm. The passage can’t handle more.”

“Calm down, Rohan! I’m sorry we can’t send more troops! But there’s no helping it!”

“No, that’s not the issue…!”

At Tristan’s urging, I staggered back. Isn’t this a bit too much? I’d thought it would just be a slight increase in the range of selectable companions! I was stunned by this outrageous change. Why is more companions a problem, you ask? Isn’t it better to have more people to fight? No, that’s not it.

This game already has such a shortage of food and water that in the later stages, you worry more about starving than being killed by monsters. In the stage just before the Demon King’s castle, you’re forced to resort to near-cannibalistic acts, enduring the scorn and contempt of your companions.

More people means more mouths to feed, so managing food in the later stages will undoubtedly be much harder. And then there’s the difficulty. With one more person, the number or strength of monsters will likely increase to an absurd degree.

No, those hypothetical problems don’t even matter. The real reason I’m so shaken is that the strategy I’d built for a four-person party, verified and tested over 20,000 times, might now be completely useless.

It was a strategy built on the foundation of my life and the lives of my companions. Sure, it required some luck, but it was solid enough that I believed I could clear the game a few more times if I followed it. And now, after using it just once, it’s being scrapped like this?

“Did all my deaths become meaningless? Are all the experiences I’ve built up just wasted?”

The thought made my mind reel. I’d thought it was fine because I could clear it again. I wanted to see Tristan happy, reunited with his one and only wife, and unlike the past where everyone but me died, maybe keep my companions alive to see the ending. I even had a small hope that once my attachments faded, I’d choose eternal rest.

But now, with things turning out like this, I was suddenly terrified. What if more than just the number of companions had changed? What if the second playthrough made clearing the game impossible? Thoughts like these kept piling up, growing larger and larger.

“Rohan, are you alright? I’m truly sorry. It’s not unreasonable for you to feel discouraged. Having so few companions is only natural.”

Tristan’s gentle pat on my shoulder was so warm it made me feel even more wretched. If I had to say, the problem wasn’t that there were too few people—it was that there were too many for me to manage.

More people just means more will die due to my mistakes. How many more times will I have to watch my companions die? Less than 20,000? More?

But saying this wouldn’t make Tristan understand. I swallowed a sigh and forced a smile at him.

“Let’s think positively.”

Yes, the situation feels ominous, but I can’t just stew in frustration. I haven’t even entered the Demon Realm yet, so giving up now would gain me nothing.

Besides, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. My goal is to let go of my attachment to this man, and defeating the Demon King is now just a secondary objective. And who says more companions will definitely make clearing harder? Maybe having an extra companion will make it easier than before. It’s better to think that way.

What I need to do now is clear. I need to pull myself together, find the rest of my companions for this playthrough, and somehow figure out a new strategy for the increased difficulty…

“To be so discouraged just because there are few companions is utterly cowardly, Your Majesty. Is this really the hero sent by the gods?”

But then, a mocking voice from behind made me scowl instinctively.

“Looks like I’m failing from the very first step.”

No wonder the skill selection went so smoothly earlier—did it happen just to trip me up at the companion selection stage? Damian hesitated, looking awkward, while Tristan, flustered, raised his voice with a stern expression.

“Rikiel, how dare you speak so recklessly in front of the gods’ messenger? Apologize to him at once.”

“I cannot. Even if he’s the gods’ messenger, aside from his purification ability, isn’t he inferior to others? If the gods were truly merciful, how could they send someone like this?”

“Even if you’re my brother, I won’t stand idly by if you keep speaking so irreverently. The gods have shown enough mercy by sending us this man. Show at least a minimum of respect!”

How can brothers be so different? I let out a long sigh and turned to face the man behind me.

“…”

A black-haired man stared at me head-on. Unlike Tristan’s slender, graceful build, this man’s body was honed with the solid muscles of a knight.

Though he was likely younger than Tristan, he seemed a head taller than me, with broad shoulders. Aside from his greenish-blue eyes, it was hard to believe he was Tristan’s brother.

Combined with an aura that intimidated those who saw him, you’d believe he was older than me. He looked utterly reliable to anyone, but the moment I saw him, irritation surged within me.

“I’d hoped that, at the very least, you wouldn’t be here in the moment I’m regretting or worrying.”

Sometimes, it’s better not to meet certain people. For me, this man was exactly that kind of person.

If this is fate, it’s an ironic one. Considering he only appears about one in three hundred times, it’s even more so. As the king’s brother and captain of the royal guard, he seems like a “rare, powerful companion,” but from my perspective, he’s the absolute worst companion.

From the start, he has a poor opinion of me, blaming me the moment anything goes wrong. If I try to take even slightly extreme actions to survive in the Demon Realm, he brings up chivalry, inciting the companions and driving the situation to the worst possible outcome. Yet he himself has no solutions for the countless problems like hunger, thirst, cold, or injuries.

“I’m sorry, Rohan. This is Rikiel La Aidel, my unworthy brother. He used to be devout, but since the Demon King’s invasion, he’s started speaking irreverently at times.”

“How can Your Majesty apologize? I…”

“If you won’t apologize, what choice do I have but to do it? If you don’t want that, apologize politely for your rudeness.”

To make matters worse, once you encounter him, he inevitably becomes a companion. If I dislike him so much, why not just go our separate ways? That would make everyone happy!

Thinking he’s someone whose intentions I can’t understand, I reluctantly shook hands with Rikiel. As soon as the handshake was over, he pulled his hand back with a displeased expression. Naturally, there was no apology.