Chapter 96. Too Kind Is Also a Sin
Oberon walked through the Hamelin Great Forest.
Step, step.
Was it because he’d broken away from Destrow’s territory? Before he knew it, the great forest had grown dense. Fresh green leaves swayed in every direction.
There were no monsters. All the monsters nearby had fled to avoid the ancient wraiths.
And so, Oberon walked through the forest overflowing with blue-green and sank deep into thought.
‘Something… was different from usual, though?’
Oberon had one thing on his mind.
Aster.
Of course, Oberon didn’t know his name, or his face.
No—he knew he was a mage. And that his personality was fucking awful. Other than that, it’d be more accurate to say he knew nothing at all.
He was like a phantom.
If he vanished with a whoosh, there’d be no way to even prove such a person had existed, and even if you tried to find him, you wouldn’t be able to find so much as a clue.
But at the same time, it wasn’t as though Oberon knew absolutely nothing about him, either.
“Death Knight-nim.”
[What is it.]
Oberon looked down at Shine, who had become short and stubby as she walked beside him.
“Didn’t you find it strange?”
[What do you mean.]
For some reason, a sulky voice.
“I mean Senior. It’s just… it felt like he was different from usual.”
[Hmph. What’s the problem.]
“…Yes?”
Shine didn’t stop walking. She simply matched Oberon’s stride with her ridiculously short legs.
Of course, whenever Oberon took one step, Shine had to take two, but still.
Anyway, even as she busily worked her feet, Shine opened her mouth.
[Didn’t everything get resolved?]
“That’s… true, isn’t it?”
[Like that bastard said, once you destroy the seal vessel, it’s over. It’s simple. It doesn’t even require that many hands.]
She was right.
At first, the Forbidden Magic Society—this unknown presence—had him fretting, unable to relax, because he didn’t know what kind of scheme they might have prepared.
And there was also the possibility that Destrow could awaken at any time.
But to be honest, “Destrow’s arrival” had been an excessive worry.
The thing that hadn’t awakened all this time—now, of all times? Exactly now? Right when the operation had started?
So in the end, the only problem had been the Forbidden Magic Society.
But.
The Death Knight—an unexpected variable the Forbidden Magic Society hadn’t anticipated.
That had made things easy.
And yet, why was it?
“Mm… It just feels strange.”
An unpleasant feeling he couldn’t shake.
Like the feeling of seeing a dog meow. Or the feeling of finding a tiger oinking.
“Why… did he tell us to leave the great forest?”
[Didn’t he say it? We’re in the middle of a defensive battle. Even if we go, we’ll only get in our allies’ way.]
“That’s true, but…”
Was that not it?
Oberon worked his brain again, trying to pin down what this unpleasant feeling really was.
“Why did he give me the bracelet… and the Coffin of the Dead….”
[Was I supposed to send you off alone? Don’t you need at least a minimum protector?]
“Mm….”
She was right. She was right, but….
“…Ah!”
At that moment, something brushed through Oberon’s mind.
“…I understand.”
Oberon stopped dead and looked at Shine.
Shine walked a few more steps ahead, then, as if unimpressed, tilted her head slightly and looked back.
[What.]
“Senior… handed his own things over to someone else. Ah—Death Knight-nim, I’m not saying you belong to someone. I mean, you know… the elixir! Didn’t he hand over the elixir too?”
As if his tongue had finally loosened, the words poured out smoothly.
‘Yeah. That was it!’
Oberon realized what had been bothering him.
‘Senior gave his own things to someone else?’
That was ridiculous.
From Greentown to the First Base Camp, and then through each camp until the Fourth Base Camp—
It had been a schedule of a little over a month: long if you called it long, short if you called it short.
During that time, what kind of person had Aster been, in Oberon’s eyes?
‘He wasn’t stingy… but.’
Right. He wasn’t stingy.
If there were mercenaries who were short on food, he’d sometimes shove a chunk of bread, or a strip of jerky, into their hands.
But then—was that really his own?
‘No, it wasn’t!’
Right. It wasn’t.
- Mage-nim! Th-that jerky…! Isn’t it mine?
- It was yours? I picked it up. What, did you write your name on it or something?
- Y-you…!
He’d sniffed out the jerky and chunks of bread Raileigh had hidden away like some kind of ghost.
Of course, Raileigh couldn’t say anything.
Even if he did, it was obvious he’d get beaten to a pulp, and in the first place, that jerky and those chunks of bread were things he’d secretly siphoned off from the supplies.
‘If Senior were really stingy, or greedy, he would’ve kept things for himself.’
But he didn’t.
And as for sharing what was actually his….
‘I don’t know.’
During the journey, there hadn’t really been a situation where he’d have to share anything.
But even so, Oberon was certain.
‘Even if… there had been a situation where he could share, he wouldn’t have shared!’
Unless someone’s life was on the line, once something went into that pouch, it never came back out.
He’d never seen it. But he could guess.
He couldn’t even imagine it.
‘Senior sharing something with someone else?’
Impossible!
“Death Knight-nim, isn’t that right? Huh? I’m right, aren’t I?”
[…It’s true, but. That’s the part you noticed?]
“…?”
Shine slowly shook her head.
‘Is Destrow’s malicious energy really this severe?’
Stuffy might be frustrating, but among the group, he’d been the most sensible one.
For someone like Oberon or that loudmouthed Pathfinder, they’d look at Aster and go, ‘That bastard is exactly that kind of bastard!’ But Stuffy always took a moderate stance, like, ‘There’s no way Senior would do that. He wouldn’t.’
But now, how….
‘Tsk, it’s all his own karma, I guess.’
Yeah. It made sense.
His owner—was that bastard ever not fucking awful? If they’d been together all this time and he still didn’t know his tendencies, then Oberon would be the stupid one.
“Then… you’re saying there’s something else, too?”
[Tsk. If that were really the reason, why would we have any reason to leave the great forest in the first place?]
“…?”
Oberon tilted his head as if puzzled.
Seeing that, Shine let out a deep sigh. Of course, since she was dead, no real breath came out. It was just the feeling.
Anyway.
[Malicious energy? It’s so strong you can’t endure it? Then wouldn’t we just wait until he smashes the seal vessel?]
“…Yes?”
[Ah, so. I mean we wait until he smashes the seal vessel, then return together to the Fourth Base Camp in glory! That’s what I’m saying!]
“…Ah!”
[…So frustrating.]
Shine slowly shook her head.
‘Well, it wasn’t only that, but….’
Shine’s doubts had started with the words, “Leave the great forest first…,” but there was another trigger that had made her confident.
- So, now let’s go on our way.
A bastard saying that since things were mostly done, they should go on their way.
‘I’m not exactly good at reading guys like that. This kind of slippery bastard is a first for me.’
But there had still been something you could tell just from his appearance.
‘He won’t even tell me his name, and his voice… if you listen closely, there’s a faint distortion layered over it. And that’s not all. He won’t even show his face.’
You couldn’t pin him down.
And yet a guy like that said to go on their way?
What did that mean?
‘He wants to cut it off.’
Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed like he’d come because he had some kind of connection with Oberon’s master, but—
‘Even that wasn’t a close relationship.’
So once the job was done, he was the type to vanish with a whoosh.
Well, if he were a normal person, once things wrapped up he might have a drink with his comrades, but….
‘A guy who won’t show his face even while eating—drinking? Yeah, right.’
But what about after that?
- Where will you rendezvous?
- In the city with the nearest warp gate.
‘The moment he opens his mouth, a lie just comes out automatically.’
No delay. No hesitation. Not even the calculated timing or slight stalling unique to someone who’s making something up. Nothing at all.
But this was a lie.
Because—
‘If it were really that bastard….’
The answer that should’ve come out was this:
- Rendezvous my ass. Didn’t I say go on your way? You think I wanna see your face again because it’s so damn pleasant?
‘Mm. Is that not it?’
He should’ve been more rude. His tone should’ve been more irritating.
Anyway, no matter how you thought about it, if it were really him, he wouldn’t have told them some rendezvous point.
“Then what… is it?”
[What? Hm….]
A brief silence.
Oberon waited for Shine’s mouth to open. After a moment—
[I don’t know.]
“…What?”
[How would I know what’s inside him? What’s in there is more crazed and rampaging than a mad colt. Still….]
“Still?”
[No. Forget it.]
Shine said that, then slowly shook her head.
‘Why even say it? Tsk.’
Honestly, wasn’t it obvious?
‘Destrow is going to wake up.’
Yeah. There was no other reason.
Of course, even so, there were still countless questions that weren’t answered.
How he could be sure Destrow’s arrival was coming. And why he intended to face Destrow alone. Things like that.
If she told Stuffy this, he’d probably insist they go back immediately, but….
Why would she?
‘Like that bastard said, my business—huh?—wasn’t it already done? Even if he begged me to help, I’d still be on the fence, for fuck’s sake…!’
Shine kicked at the ground for no reason. Though it was “kicking” only in name—every time she kicked, it gouged out a chunk of earth as if someone had shoveled it up.
“Death Knight-nim, could it be… are you angry?”
[No? Me? Why would I be?]
At Oberon’s cautious question, Shine whipped her face around and glared at him.
[Calling me a “freeloader,” that ungrateful bastard. Tapping my tin can—no, my helmet—whenever he feels like it, treating me like a slave. I tasted humiliations from that bastard that I’d never tasted in my entire life! And now what, you’re asking what about what?]
Words bursting out like a machine gun. Fast, too.
It seemed she’d been holding a lot in—each word, each syllable carried an anger she couldn’t hide.
And yet, Oberon tilted his head.
“So you were angry because of Senior?”
[…]
“Because Senior sent you away so coldly, so you were angry—hic!”
Shine clamped her mouth shut. The moment the tip of Shine’s sword—drawn with a faint shing—touched Oberon’s neck, it happened.
[W-what. What are you saying, what? If you’re going to spew dogshit, I’ll take that neck right now—!]
Anyone could see she was flustered. Like her private feelings—things she didn’t want revealed—had been exposed.
But that only lasted a moment.
[Hoo…. What am I supposed to do.]
“What do you mean?”
[Destrow is about to wake. I don’t know how that bastard found out, but… there’s no other reason he’d act like someone about to die.]
“As I thought… so that was it.”
Oberon looked at Shine with a heavy expression.
But unlike Shine expected, he didn’t look especially shocked. More like… he’d already suspected it.
“I think we have to go back.”
[Oh, do you?]
“Yes. If we didn’t know, we didn’t know… but now that we do know, we have to go.”
Even if the real situation differed from his guess, he’d rather waste a trip than not go.
Now that he knew, going back was the right choice.
Even if that place was….
‘Even if it’s a death ground.’
Oberon’s eyes flashed.
[For a Stuffy, you can make a pretty decent look with your eyes.]
“What will you do, Death Knight-nim?”
[I… hm. I… to be honest, I don’t have any particular reason to go.]
“That makes sense. Then, our company ends here—”
[Tsck!]
“…?”
Shine grabbed Oberon as he turned away.
[I’m saying there’s no reason.]
“Yes, I understand.”
[Tsck, I said there’s no reason—reason! Don’t you get it? Reason! There’s no justification, no justification!]
“…Ah.”
Only then did Oberon understand what she meant.
But only for a moment.
“Mmm.”
At Shine’s gleam, as if expecting something, Oberon let out an awkward hum.
He understood what she meant, but he had no talent for this kind of thing.
‘It seems like you feel awkward going of your own accord… Ah!’
Then, suddenly, a thought struck him.
“Justice.”
[…What?]
“Don’t you pursue justice, Death Knight-nim?”
[…I do?]
She was a traitor who’d taken the Emperor’s head. By the world’s perception, she was far from justice.
And even aside from perception, she hadn’t exactly lived a righteous life.
But Oberon didn’t stop.
“Yes! A loyal knight of His Imperial Majesty! Even though His Imperial Majesty has entered rest, this land belongs to his descendants! So, what should you do?”
What should she do? She had no particular thoughts.
Taking the Emperor’s head had been personal vengeance, and that had been resolved when she took it.
Now, she didn’t care.
But.
[Good. That’s a suitable justification.]
“Right?”
[Justice. Yes—can’t let that crafty bastard run wild through the world.]
“…?”
Oberon tilted his head.
‘Crafty bastard?’
Wouldn’t “wicked” fit Destrow better?
While Oberon was caught in that doubt, Shine was already walking far ahead.
[What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?]
“…Ah. I-I’m coming.”
Oberon hurried after her. But even though she was small, how was her pace so fast? He practically had to jog.
And to Oberon’s ear came Shine’s voice.
[Whether that crafty bastard is colluding with the wicked Destrow or not—I can’t trust it at all.]
“…Ah.”
[As righteous as I am, I’ll confirm it myself. And if he is colluding, I’ll personally cut off his head.]
“Th… yes.”
Oberon just accepted it.
“…That is perfectly reasonable.”
Because either way, good was good.
With a dignified stride, the little giant marched boldly across the Hamelin Great Forest.
Though maybe because her legs were short, she was quite slow.
Rumble—KBOOM!
Above the once-quiet skies of the Hamelin Great Forest, dark clouds gathered.
Krrrrrrumble.
As if a beast trapped in a cage were growling, the air twisted as it spat out a wailing cry.
As though the end of the world were approaching.
Amid the dark clouds that had crowded the sky, with a bewitching red glow seeping through, a mage walked over it.
A mask—black with a sleek white stripe drawn across it. Gray hair as gloomy as the ominous sky.
The mage set foot with a pace neither fast nor slow.
A gait that looked comfortable, as if he’d come out for a stroll.
The moment the mage looked up at the sky was right then.
“Seriously… this is fucking ridiculous. Fucking ridiculous.”
Aster grumbled as if he were sick of it.
He wasn’t talking only about the weather.
Then what was he talking about?
If he listed them one by one, it wouldn’t end—well… it would, actually.
First.
‘This is just great. Absolutely great.’
Malicious energy whipping around bewitchingly in all directions. Like a mad executioner dancing with a blade, it swept over everything and shrieked.
It was more chaotic than ten thousand ghosts throwing a festival, and more violent than a Devourer craving flesh.
Then.
‘And this one is just great, too.’
The Fire Seal (火印) on his left chest, pulsing until his heart ached.
That vibration had spread through his entire body before he knew it.
And yet his body remained quiet—so it clearly wasn’t a physical pulse.
And last.
More fucking ridiculous than those two monsters was his own mind.
“Where is this, and who am I.”
Where was this road he was taking leading?
He didn’t know.
Then again, had there ever been a time in his life when he knew where he was going?
He didn’t mean a physical destination.
More like… anyway, it was an ambiguous feeling to put into words. In any case, it felt like he couldn’t see even an inch ahead.
“Let’s give up thinking. Yeah. Give up.”
At worst, it’s just death—what else could it be.
Ah, though there was something more terrible than death.
The Forbidden Magic Society—after seeing those bastards this time, it seemed there were things more terrible than death.
Shine von Lehmann, other undead, and so on, and so forth.
If the worst happened, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to endure that kind of danger, but….
“Well, if I can’t endure it, so what.”
It didn’t matter.
Because the one who would endure that pain wouldn’t be the current him, but tomorrow’s him.
For now, he just walked.
Why?
‘Yeah. Why, though.’
He could just close his eyes, plug his ears, and run.
‘Tsk. Too kind is also a sin. A sin.’
“Isn’t it?”
Aster stopped and looked up at the sky.
He was speaking to Destrow. Of course, only if the bastard was sentient would the conversation work, but he assumed sentience anyway.
Otherwise, it’d be embarrassing to throw words into the air.
But after a moment—
“Ah, should I be talking while looking down?”
Aster looked at the ground beneath his feet.
The empty space underground he could clearly feel. The dreadful presence his senses caught.
Something below was leaking malicious energy in long streams.
Could that really be the monstrous (凶物) Destrow? It spewed forth filthy energy, unfit even to be spoken of.
Even for Aster, its force felt distant and beyond reach.
But Aster looked down with the same expression as always, as if he didn’t know fear.
“Still not up?”
If he went down now and smashed it, would that be fine?
He didn’t know. And after coming all this way, he didn’t want to hit a bastard while it slept, either.
A man has pride….
“…I’m not feeding you, damn it!”
KWAANG—!
A thunderous roar that slammed the ground.
The moment light flashed in Aster’s grip, a small Burst Annihilation (爆滅) formed and struck the earth.
