Chapter 182. Stop. That’s enough. Chenbi Is My Friend
On a cool lakeside where the morning sun’s glittering ripples shimmered.
Following Myserln sunbae, we slipped out through the waterways of Giksen Lake to a secluded lakeshore and spent the night there.
As expected, Demian was crafty.
“Huh? How’d I know? You can just tell by looking. She didn’t ask this and that, you know.”
“Didn’t ask this and that?”
In the end, the reason Demian chose to run was because Gamo’s permission had come far too easily.
“You said ‘ancient ruins,’ but she didn’t ask what ruins, didn’t ask where we were going. And if she really meant to permit it, she would’ve at least attached Uncle Tohoman to us.”
Ah. So that’s what it was.
It did feel strange.
I’d thought there was no way Gamo would allow it that easily.
And really, Gamo had been through enough Demian to know better—would she fall for a bunch of nonsense about heroes and just let him go?
It made no sense.
Anyway, we’d escaped safely, so it was fine. But I still had one more question.
‘……’
Chenbi, curled up and sleeping in a state close to unconsciousness.
“Why is he….”
Chewing jerky, Demian gave a wide grin at my question.
“Because it’s sad to leave him out.”
“……Ah. Yeah. Sure.”
“Think about it, Friend. If it’s just me and Chenbi going on an adventure, would it feel good?”
It would feel good to me.
“People always have to think about other people’s hearts, too. And if they’re close to you, you have to do it even more.”
But you don’t look like you’re doing that at all.
Still—so what if this, so what if that.
Things had already happened, and instead of Myserln sunbae, it looked like I—the one who’d just been chewing cookies—was going to shoulder all responsibility.
‘Yeah. Let’s give up.’
Giving up is comfortable.
How many times have I been persecuted by this harsh world? By now, I was someone who could just let it roll off.
Anyway, after soothing my aching feelings just enough, I chewed my jerky and sorted out my thoughts.
The group dance was tomorrow, wasn’t it?
‘For now, watching the fairies’ group dance is out the window.’
Now what mattered was the current situation.
‘Lady Gamo… must be seriously pissed, right?’
Probably.
Yesterday, the moment the communication ended, we kidnapped Chenbi and—under Myserln sunbae’s lead—escaped the estate.
There hadn’t been bloodshed in the process, but there had been a certain degree of clash, so if she heard about it, she’d be furious.
But this part too, somewhere deep in my heart, I’d already given up on.
If they chase me, they chase me.
Then what matters?
Ancient ruins.
What, exactly, would be there?
If it were just me alone, it wouldn’t be a worry I’d ever entertain.
Whatever was lurking in there, I was a man who’d traded punches with Destrow and come back alive from the middle of Lortel.
It’s not that I’m not afraid of anything—but if it’s just me, I’m confident I can get out somehow.
But what about now?
“I can feel a serene atmosphere. Camping out, huh.”
Burden 1.
“U-uhm… p-please….”
Victim 1.
Strictly speaking, in terms of fighting power, the real burden wasn’t Demian but Chenbi—but Demian’s very existence is the problem.
So it’s correct to see Demian as the burden.
Anyway, because two extra mouths had attached themselves to me without my intending it, the psychological difficulty spiked sharply.
What? Because it’s their choice, I should just let them handle it themselves?
At first, that’s what I thought, but….
‘Then I really will become a wyvern breeder.’
Becoming the lord of ten thousand wyverns wouldn’t be so bad, but it was far too early to bury myself in the wilds for the rest of my life—my remaining life was still way too long.
So, at minimum, I’d have to keep them alive and bring them along.
“Tsk.”
Thinking that far, I wet my rough, dry mouth with water and looked up at the sky.
Feathery clouds drifted thickly across the blue. A refreshing breeze tickled my hair. And what washed away the worries in my head was the sound—shaaah—the forest’s song.
“Yeah, well. What’s the point of thinking about it.”
Everything is futile.
Life is… a boiled egg.
Boil it, and it’s hard either way. Punch it, and it bursts—whether it’s a person’s head or an egg, it’s the same.
What does that mean?
It means I want to crack Demian’s head.
“Friend, were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that I still haven’t hit you even once.”
As I rose slightly and glared, Demian—who’d been eating jerky deliciously—smiled innocently and changed the subject.
“Anyway, when is Chenbi going to wake up?”
“You should’ve hit him more gently.”
“You told me to hit the back of his neck, so I just did.”
“He could’ve died if you messed up.”
Sure, Demian had treated him with healing light, but if it’d gone even a little wrong, Chenbi could’ve lost all sensation below his neck forever.
Even so, I was starting to worry.
‘What should I tell Chenbi when he wakes up?’
That Demian kidnapped you?
That we got surrounded?
Or that a ridiculously fun adventure is waiting, but you might die, so just keep that in mind?
If I left it to Demian, I wouldn’t need this kind of worry….
‘No. Not him.’
You can’t entrust him with anything.
Considering the mental suffering poor Chenbi would endure, I sifted through words in my head—again and again—trying to pick terms that would be least shocking.
Of course, it didn’t take long before I realized it was a completely pointless worry.
“U-uhm….”
Chenbi opened his eyes, dazed and half-asleep.
Before I could say anything, Demian shook Chenbi awake like a lightning strike, and then this kind of nonsense popped out of his mouth:
“Time to trouble(Time to trouble)!”
Trouble?
Not travel?
But the real point here wasn’t Demian’s vague knowledge—it was Chenbi’s reaction when he heard it.
“……What time is it.”
“Seven?”
“……Wake me up at nine.”
Chenbi closed his eyes again.
But Demian didn’t give in.
“Friend, it’s adventure time! Look around. Adventure is waiting for us—”
“Yeah, yeah. Sure. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m so excited. But Demian, my head hurts so much right now. I think it’s because yesterday someone hit me… must be my imagination, right?”
“…….”
“Wake me up at nine.”
With that, Chenbi closed his eyes again.
Watching that, I let out a soft admiration.
‘Ah… so this is the greatest living Demian authority?’
Chenbi hadn’t failed to grasp reality.
He had grasped reality better than anyone.
From now on, I shall call you Chenbi of the Immovable Mind.
Myserln sunbae, who had gone down to inspect the waterways, returned not long after Chenbi woke up.
He looked especially gaunt after just one night, and when he spotted the awakened Chenbi, a strange light flickered in his eyes.
“That friend is….”
“Shh.”
I hurriedly stopped Myserln sunbae, lowered my body, and spoke in a voice like a whisper.
“If you stimulate Chenbi right now, something big could happen.”
“……Why?”
Instead of answering, I pointed with a sidelong glance to Aiki, the water spirit manifested beside Myserln sunbae.
“Watch.”
“……?”
Aiki had crawled out of the water and was grooming his front paws.
He used to hiss at me whenever he saw me, but now he’d gotten fairly used to me. Of course, he’d gotten used to Demian too.
But then—
Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak—!
The moment he looked at Chenbi, he suddenly bristled all the fur on his body and hissed, as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t.
“What is this….”
“Chenbi has been tainted by evil.”
“…….”
“Surely it’s because of Demian. If you look at him, he might seem like just Chenbi, but inside he’s Fallen Chenbi, corrupted by evil. If you touch him, you won’t like what happens.”
“You’re truly shameless… aren’t you?”
“Me? I am?”
He’s saying nonsense.
There’s something in this world called meta-cognition (Meta 認知), which refers to objectively recognizing your own level.
How do you think I—just a mere Troubleshooter—have managed to survive? In my personal judgment, it’s because my meta-cognition is exceptionally superior to others.
Anyway, with Myserln sunbae’s return, we all huddled around the campfire.
The lineup was truly, truly wretched.
“Mm….”
Myserln sunbae, grown gaunt overnight.
“…….”
The source of evil, eyes gleaming.
Chew, chew.
And even Chenbi, tainted by evil.
For the record, from the moment he opened his eyes until now, Chenbi hadn’t asked a single question about where this was or how this had happened.
That reaction was astonishing even to me.
And another thought came.
‘If things get even more twisted here….’
Stop. That’s enough.
Chenbi is my friend.
No matter how curious I am, twisting someone’s nature isn’t right.
If I did that, then what difference would there be between me and Demian? This kind of curiosity is absolutely not right.
Anyway, leaving aside Chenbi of the twisted netherworld, we began talking in earnest about the ancient ruins.
“First, I’ve looked over the route roughly. The travel time won’t be that long. But there’s something I want to confirm one last time….”
It seemed he felt uneasy about having to enter ancient ruins with young friends in tow.
No—more than that, he seemed to be mindful of Chenbi, who’d been dragged along almost like a kidnapping victim.
But Chenbi, under Myserln sunbae’s subtle gaze, swallowed his jerky and gave a bright smile.
“Lord Myserln, I’m fine.”
“Mm, are you truly fine?”
“What was meant to come has simply come. It’s a hardship one must experience at least once in life. I rather think it’s fortunate that this hardship found me when Lord Myserln was here.”
That’s right.
Chenbi had already predicted that something like this would happen someday.
I let out admiration at that outstanding foresight, and at the same time offered a quiet condolence for the life of Chenbi, who’d gotten tangled up with Demian.
Anyway.
Having received Chenbi’s humble mindset, Myserln sunbae nodded once, then spoke again.
“Then first… however the process may have been, I offer you my deep gratitude. Some of you may already know, but this matter is for the sake of fulfilling this old man’s long-cherished wish. When all my affairs have ended, I will repay this kindness without fail.”
After finishing in a solemn tone, Myserln sunbae slowly bowed his head, then lifted it again.
At that timing, Demian’s lips twitched as if he were about to say something, but Chenbi reached out and clamped a hand over his mouth.
‘Nice, Chenbi.’
I don’t know what he was going to say, but as a rule, Demian’s three-inch tongue is a horn that calls disaster.
Anyway, once Myserln sunbae lifted his head, he went on, calmly explaining what we needed to do from here—and what we had gathered for.
Well, that part I already knew, so let’s set it aside.
And after he finished explaining—
“Then, please, lend a hand for the spirits who have suffered for so many long years.”
Saying that, Myserln sunbae bowed once more.
The responses varied.
“A hero saves the weak. Master, don’t worry!”
The villain still hadn’t grasped his own identity.
“Those poor children. Just like me.”
The twisted netherworld victim felt a sense of kinship.
And as I took in those different reactions, Myserln sunbae’s question came flying at me right then.
“You… why are you smiling like that?”
“Because I’m just… so happy. To think we can save the spirits who are suffering. What better thing could there be than this?”
A smile spreading at the corner of my mouth. My heart thumps—two geun and a half, three geun and a half. This must be the joy of doing good, I suppose.
With a proud heart, I quietly fixed my gaze on Aiki.
‘Rest easy, you little punk. I’ll save your kin.’
Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak—!
Brat. Are you that happy?
