TEOCH 61

In the end, it seemed Rohan had decided to get some sleep instead of satisfying his appetite. He fell asleep, crumpled in a corner of the cave with a pale face, while the rest of the party gathered around the campfire, sating their hunger with the remaining food. Rehas studied the magician’s face for a long while as he sat next to him, picking at his food.

“Why don’t you eat more?”

“Pardon? This is enough for me.”

“Still, how can a young fellow like you get by on just that? You look like you’d blow away in the wind.”

“But if I eat too much, I get an upset stomach. My stomach has always been weak, so I get diarrhea if I eat a lot of meat. You might think I’m complaining for no good reason in a place like this, but…”

Damian just smiled cheerfully as if nothing had happened, and Rehas smacked his lips lightly and nodded. He was truly an odd young man in the strangest ways. It was hard to tell whether to describe him as kindhearted or to evaluate him as cold.

Rehas glanced at the complexions of Tristan and Rikiel, who were chewing their food beside him, and easily realized that they were thinking the same thing he was. Of course, it would be Rehas’s role to voice that thought…. In the end, he cleared his throat lightly and opened his mouth.

“Er, Damian.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for earlier. For calming that fellow down.”

“Pardon? Oh, that? I did a good job, didn’t I?”

The gaze that met his, as if asking for praise, was extremely brazen, but Rehas didn’t find it particularly unpleasant. Thanks to that nerve, Rohan had managed to regain some stability, so it was certainly worth praising.

“Yes, you did well. You were better at it than me.”

‘If anything, I should have been the one to soothe Rohan.’

Rehas thought so and clicked his tongue. The thought that he had burdened the young man by saying something unnecessary left a bitter taste in his mouth. To say, ‘Can we even handle that monster with our current skills?’ to a young man who was already struggling—what kind of thing was that to say?

At the very least, he felt it wasn’t something an adult should say, so he could only groan under the weight of shame and guilt. No matter how much he mulled it over, it was a truly ridiculous thing to say, but at that moment, Rehas couldn’t help it either. Because, at that moment, Rehas was just as much… as Rohan.

“My vision went black, and I didn’t know what to do.”

“Pardon? But you didn’t seem that anxious earlier.”

“I threw up too, my friend. I just held it in because an old man can’t go losing his composure and running around in a panic. Though I suppose I still showed a rather unsightly side of myself.”

“But…”

“Damian, we are not as strong of heart as you. We were just as confused as Rohan was by what just happened. Of course, seeing Rohan struggle made us even more anxious.”

Hearing Rikiel’s words, Damian tilted his head, but thanks to him, Rehas was able to calm his heart, if only a little. …It seemed the others had been just as anxious. Even if they hadn’t voiced that emotion.

When you thought about it, it was only natural. They were people who had already had to risk their lives just to escape from the collapsing island. No matter that they had acquired the parasites and reinforced their armor, they were merely human, and the battle was harsh enough just enduring the malice of monsters that had no particular goal.

But now, were they not in a situation where they had to survive amidst a throng of monsters surging toward them with clear hostility? And on top of that, they had to face the overwhelmingly powerful Harpuia….

‘That monster, she’s on a whole different level from the Queen Spider we fought last time. How in the world can we face her with just our own strength?’

No matter how much Rehas trusted Rohan’s abilities, in the current situation, it was only natural to feel fear. Rehas was, after all, only human. Moreover, with Rohan’s state being so unstable, it was impossible not to feel even more confused.

Damian, with his ridiculously optimistic personality, didn’t seem to feel such great anxiety, but frankly, Rehas still couldn’t shake his own. No matter how he thought about it, this situation didn’t seem like something that could be overcome by methods like ‘shaking off the anxiety and starting fresh.’

“Hm, was that so? Then what I just did was unnecessary.”

“That’s not true. Thanks to you, Rohan has stabilized a lot, and we were able to get a grip on ourselves. We’re still nothing but grateful to you.”

As he spoke, Rehas glanced at the back of the sleeping Rohan. At least it was a relief that the young man had come to his senses. The way he had worried about others, not even aware that he himself had vomited, and refused to even accept the fact that he was anxious—Rehas hadn’t liked seeing that either. That young man definitely had a precarious side to him. As a guide, he was supremely dependable, but as a person…

“Let’s end the gloomy talk here. It would also be best not to talk about the situation outside until Rohan wakes up. What do you think?”

“Well, that makes sense. It’ll be better to follow Mr. Rohan’s decision rather than us discussing it amongst ourselves anyway.”

Not only Damian but the other companions also agreed with Rikiel’s proposal, and they decided to rest and conserve their strength until Rohan woke up.

Damian entered a state of meditation with a calm expression, as if nothing had happened, and Rikiel, too, decided to close his eyes for a while, as if fatigue had built up. And Tristan…

‘Your Majesty the King, you haven’t said a word for a while now.’

Tristan was carefully wiping Rohan’s face with the damp corner of a blanket. Vomit still clung to his cheek and the nape of his neck. After wiping the sweat from Rohan’s forehead, Tristan used another part of the blanket to wipe away the vomit. Rohan stirred for a moment, as if the damp feeling on his neck was unfamiliar, but he didn’t wake up.

However, Tristan, who was nursing Rohan like this, wasn’t in good condition either. Although he hadn’t vomited, his complexion was as pale as a sick person’s, and the area under his eyes was dark, like someone who hadn’t slept for several days. He looked to be in great distress, but he didn’t show it in the slightest, focusing only on wiping Rohan’s face.

“Your Majesty, are you alright? Your complexion is very poor.”

“Hm? I am fine, so there is no need to worry, Rehas. I am sorry for causing you concern.”

“No, well, you don’t have to go that far. Still, how about you get some rest?”

“I am really alright.”

Of course, the words were not at all convincing, but Rehas couldn’t say anything more. It was because he could somewhat guess what he must be thinking. The emotion he was likely feeling now was probably more than simple anxiety. As Rehas was now, he could neither blindly defend his situation nor blindly condemn it, but…

‘If His Majesty the King had not tried to get Her Majesty the Queen back, Rohan and the rest of us would not have had to go through this hardship.’

Of course, Rehas had no intention of saying those words out loud. He didn’t want to ruin the already gloomy atmosphere further, and he knew that the king hadn’t had many choices in the situation at the time.

She was the queen of a nation, after all. How could he give up without even trying to find her? Not to mention, God had even sent a messenger to tell him to rescue the queen. Besides.

‘Rumors that Her Majesty the Queen was pregnant were also circulating quite frequently.’

Of course, it wasn’t officially announced by the royal castle, but if it was a rumor so widespread that even a mere hunter like Rehas knew about it, it probably wasn’t a completely baseless rumor. If that rumor was true, then even if Rehas himself had been in that situation, there would have been only one choice….

Rehas looked at Tristan with a very complicated heart. In any case, there was nothing he could do right now. He had no desire at all to hurl accusations at the man who was as good as the one who had driven them into a deadly corner, but he also had no desire to comfort the man who was likely feeling guilty about the path he himself had chosen. This couldn’t be helped. So.

‘For now, let’s not think about it any further. Right now, we don’t have the luxury to worry about such problems.’

Thinking it would be better to get some rest, Rehas decided to try to sleep instead of worrying any longer. After all, worrying right now wouldn’t solve a single thing.

But trying to sleep while ignoring the problems right before his eyes was no easy task. He could somehow manage to ignore the meaningless complaints about Tristan, but he couldn’t possibly ignore the ordeal he would have to face starting tomorrow.

As he closed his eyes, the commotion he had experienced during the day kept coming to mind. He was worried about the monsters that would track them from tomorrow, he was anxious about the existence of the Harpuia they would eventually have to fight, and…

‘Wait, now that I think about it, there’s something that’s been bothering me.’

Rehas flinched for a moment at a question that suddenly crossed his mind. Come to think of it, hadn’t that woman said during the day, ‘Bring the humans to me alive’? Why? Rehas recalled her words and furrowed his brow.

Perhaps for monsters, the phrase ‘bring them alive’ meant ‘as long as you bring the head or torso properly, the rest doesn’t matter.’ The Demon Realm was, after all, a world where human common sense did not apply.

But, if what she said was meant literally, then maybe…

‘Nah, what’s the use. We’ll be caught and killed all the same.’

Rehas let out a light sigh and shook his head. Since their goal was to defeat the Harpuiae anyway, it didn’t seem to matter much whether the Harpuiae killed them or kept them alive. Rehas shook off the useless thought and flopped onto the ground to sleep. In any case, that was the only thing he could do right now.

The Harpuiae’s nest was in the sky, dizzyingly high up.

Riding a wind so strong that even a monster with the largest, most powerful wings would find it hard to endure, if you climb for a long while as if to catch the sun, there is a beautiful island overgrown with vines and trees.

The only residents of that island are the five Harpuia sisters. They lived in a large nest they had built in the center of the island and spent most of their time inside it, except when strolling through the forest or flying around the river.

Naturally, they rarely left the island. The ‘Island of the Sky’ that they ruled was a peaceful region where conflicts seldom arose, and the only thing the Harpuiae had to do was go down to the surface once every few months to monitor for any problems. It had certainly been that way until now. It should have continued to be that way….

—I’m back, sisters.

Irene, the youngest of the Harpuia sisters, returned to their nest only after the sun had set. She was rather late herself, but some of her sisters had still not returned. It was because they were all busy flying around the island, giving warnings to the monsters. The only ones who had returned to the nest early were the eldest sister, Charon, and the fourth sister, Scáthach.

—You’ve returned, Irene. Did you deliver the message I asked you to?

—Yes. I’m not certain, since their heads aren’t very good… but I at least conveyed the message to capture the humans and bring them here.

—Don’t expect too much. Even if they understood your words correctly, they won’t be able to make proper judgments because of their anger over the island’s collapse.

—I suppose that’s true. That beautiful ‘Volcanic Island’ is in ruins. The sky is so full of volcanic ash that sunlight can’t even shine through properly, and around the crater, the bodies of those who couldn’t escape in time are buried in lava. No matter how much they fear me, whether they will actually follow my orders is…

Irene plopped down on her bed, which was covered with ramie cloth. To be honest, she wasn’t too keen on giving this kind of order either. But since her eldest sister, Charon, had asked her sisters to issue ‘that order,’ what could she do? She had no choice but to issue the command to ‘capture the humans and bring them before me’ instead of ‘kill the humans immediately.’ But to bring those humans back alive, why? For what purpose?

It had not yet been revealed how those humans were collapsing the islands, but in Irene’s opinion, trying to capture such dangerous individuals would cause problems one way or another. The humans had already killed the Queen Spider, stolen her demonic power, and come all the way to this region. If they were that dangerous, it would have been more than enough to order them killed with full force….

However, unfortunately, Charon’s command was absolute. Although the nominal ‘rulers’ were all five sisters, there was a hierarchy among them, and Charon, the eldest, was not only wiser than her other sisters but also stronger. There was no sister who could stand up to her without listening to her commands.

—It cannot be helped if the humans are killed, but I would prefer if they were brought here alive, if possible. If I can, I want to talk with those humans.

—Even if I were to ask why, you would not answer me, I imagine. But for what purpose must we engage in something like a conversation with the ones who collapsed the island?

—Irene, I do not think they collapsed the island. They do not have that kind of ability.

—…Sister.

—Isn’t that so? How in the world could those humans collapse something like an island? It is something even we, who rule all twelve islands, cannot do.

—B-but those who were on the island certainly said so. That the island collapsed because of something those humans did…

—There is such a thing as coincidence in the world, Irene. I would rather ask those humans. By what means did they manage to survive a collapsing island?

They are certainly not ordinary humans. Charon said, just laughing. Irene felt a surge of anger at her tone, which sounded as if she were defending those humans rather than worrying about the monsters that had died in the island’s collapse. Of course, she had no intention of defying her sister’s will, but… honestly, wasn’t this a bit too much?

But it seemed Irene was not the only one who thought so. Scáthach, who had been listening silently from the side, spoke up bluntly.

—Then, are you saying you want those humans to run rampant all over the island, alive?

—How could that be? I gave the order to capture those humans because I do not want any more islands to collapse, did I not? And I do not wish for those humans to live. I simply have some questions for them.

—What is it that you are curious about? Is it something like why those humans came here? Or is it about why they are going around the islands searching for things like amplifiers or controllers?

—Hm? Isn’t that obvious? They are, of course, trying to kill us. I have told you before.

At this point, it was simply dumbfounding, Irene thought, clicking her tongue. To know that the humans were trying to kill her and still order them to be captured alive—at this point, one could only wonder what her intentions were. She wondered if perhaps she was underestimating the humans too much, but from the way she spoke, that didn’t seem to be the case either….

—Your words are strange, sister. According to what you’ve said, there is no way that mere humans would have the ability to kill us. Even if they gather things like amplifiers or controllers, that should be impossible.

—No, those humans do have such an ability. Of that much, I am certain.

—How in the world do you know that? We’ve tried to believe whatever you’ve said until now, but this time, even we are confused. We have no idea what you’re thinking.

Scáthach shook her head, her face looking as if she were about to cry, and Irene, too, could only bow her head in silence. Charon had been very strange recently. Not only did she lack her former energy, but she would often mutter incomprehensible things, and at times, she acted as if it wouldn’t be strange if she died the very next day. She was not the bright and gentle person she used to be. Somehow, she felt as if she had aged drastically compared to before…. Suddenly, a single word that could not be taken back slipped from between Irene’s lips.

—Sister, are you really alright?

—Hm? What are you talking about? There is nothing wrong with me. It is just…

Just as she was about to continue, the faint sound of wings came from outside. It seemed the other two had returned together. Charon stood up as if to greet them, and Irene and Scáthach missed their chance to hear her answer. They could only look at each other’s faces, unable to do anything.

—…I had a dream, Irene. A dream of repeating life and death tens of thousands of times.

And so, in the end, no one heard Charon’s whispered reply.