Chapter 21: The Forest of No Return (1)

Duncan, for the first time in a while, had gained an opportunity to boast of his heroic exploits.

At first, he was hesitant, feeling awkward about showing off in front of what he thought was some kind of veteran. But he was a man, after all, and the more he talked, the louder his voice got.

“So there I was! I get down the stairs, I whip the torch around like this, and this cold, spooky feeling just goes whoosh! Right up the back of my neck! Just like in the goblin cave, sir! I knew it instantly. ‘Aha,’ I thought, ‘this is a demon. A real nasty one, too!’”

"......"

The main body of a Possessor-type demon without consciousness was just a grotesque lump of flesh. If Duncan felt any creeping sensation, it was probably just his own fear getting to him. But Kadim didn't bother pointing that out. For a merchant, this was probably the most thrilling adventure he'd ever experienced.

“So I decided to approach with extreme caution. Even if you were distracting its mind, my lord, you know how demons are such cunning and wicked beings, are they not? I thought it might have laid some manner of trap…”

But Duncan was dragging the story out way too long, going into minute-by-minute details. Kadim lost his patience and cut him off.

"That's enough."

"...so I crept forward and saw this disgusting mass of flesh that looked like a troll's stomach—"

"I said that's enough."

"...yes, sorry, my lord."

"From now on, just answer what I ask. How many horns did the demon have?"

"One big one that was fully grown, and another one about the size of a finger joint."

A mid-rank demon in the process of evolving into a high-rank one.

If things had gone according to the demon's plan and succeeded in destroying Molden, it would have finished its evolution and become a high-ranking demon for sure. Good thing they found it and dealt with it before that happened.

"Did you bring what I asked for? There was something else besides the axe."

"Yes, of course. After I stabbed the flesh, I collected every last drop without spilling a single drop.”

Duncan handed over a leather canteen that was about half full. Kadim opened the lid and took a sniff. A repulsive and rank odor wafted from the canteen. It was unmistakably the blood of a demon.

Demon blood gave different buffs depending on the type and rank. Among them, Possessor-type demon blood usually gives buffs in the mental department rather than physical ones. Things like immunity to various mental attacks and debuffs...

Kadim was already immune to 'Possession.' But that was because of the unique circumstance of possessing a game character; it didn't extend to other debuffs. This blood would be a huge help when facing demons or monsters that used mental attacks as their main weapon.

Though it was a shame it couldn't prevent the most terrible debuff of all—Madness.

'...After I find Melissa's records at the Mage Tower, I'll need to look for a solution to the Madness too.'

Madness was the one problem that the best and brightest of the old world—the Mage, the Priest, the Shrine Maiden—couldn’t solve. He didn't know if this era would be any different, but Kadim decided to hold onto a small hope. It’s been three hundred years after all.

Besides, his immediate dependence on demon blood had lessened somewhat.

Kadim lifted his new axe and gave it another look.

"......"

The axe head gleamed with a smooth grayish-blue surface, the dark handle curved at the optimal angle. It was a weapon designed to fly with the greatest efficiency and shatter an enemy's skull.

This was a weapon he'd never seen during the game or even his first playthrough. Because of that, Kadim had no idea of its name, ranks, stats, or special effects.

But there were a few clues he could work with.

The map definitely called it an ‘Ancient Treasure’…

And if it was an ‘Ancient Treasure,’ he had a pretty good idea of when and where it was from.

It was from an age long, long before his first run.

The Age of Myths.

It was an era when humans, elves, and dwarves waged wars to become the hegemon of the continent. It probably came from the frozen lands of the north, made by the ancient dwarven kingdom that conquered the region and melted the eternal snow with the heat of roaring furnaces.

'If it really was from there, its rank would be at least Unique or higher.'

And based on its performance, that seemed about right. One-shotting a mid-rank demon with no buffs was a hell of an achievement, even if the demon was physically on the weaker side.

'As for special effects... t definitely has a throwing power boost. I’m not sure if it’s got a homing feature or not.'

He suddenly wondered why a treasure like this was just sitting in a dungeon. Kadim turned to the merchant.

“Did you see anything strange when you went to get the axe?”

"St-strange? Um, well... I don't think so. The rock came away easily enough when I put some strength into it, and the hole underneath was pretty deep... Oh! Wait! The chest! The black chest the axe was in, it had some kind of white symbol painted on it!”

"What kind of symbol? Draw it on the ground right now."

“Uh, well… it was… it was too dark! Yeah, too dark! I couldn’t get a good look! Sorry, my lord..."

"......"

He had a torch, so there's no way it was too dark. He just couldn't remember well. Kadim clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Something about it bothered him, but he couldn't go all the way back to Molden just to check one thing. He’d been leaving a river of blood in his wake. If anyone was hunting him, they’d be on his trail already.

His thoughts shifted from the axe to his pursuers. It went without saying who the most likely pursuers were.

'The Paladins of Elga... There's no way they haven't found that I killed that Paladin by now.'

The lowest-ranked 'Paladins' weren't much of a problem. Even the rank above them, 'Sacred Knights,' could be dealt with as long as he got demon blood.

The real problem was the Order's high-ranking Paladins—the 'Archpaladins.'

'...Fucking fanatic bastards.'

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The Order of Elga in the past had been just and fair, but even then, the Archpaladins were always the exception.

About halfway through his first run, Kadim and his party got chased down by some psycho Archpaladin because of a stupid misunderstanding. Kadim had gotten careless and left a few clues behind. In the end, the Archpaladin who found those signs caught up to them, and they had to fight.

The result was a total disaster.

The Mage and the Shrine Maiden were seriously wounded. Kadim fought to the bitter end and was left half-dead. If not for the intervention of the Priest who would soon become their companion, they all would've died right there.

Things worked out somehow in the end. After the misunderstanding was cleared up, with the help of the Priest and other Paladins, they managed to put the psycho down for good.

But the memory of almost having his whole team wiped out by just one psycho left a lasting scar in Kadim's mind.

'......'

Of course, it was unlikely that the same thing that happened then would happen now. The Order wouldn't send out its top enforcer just because one newbie Paladin got himself killed. Would they?

But still, he couldn't shake the feeling that things wouldn't go his way. Worst-case scenarios had a nasty habit of showing up when you least expected them.

The anxiety made him antsy. He started walking faster without even realizing it, and the scenery blurred past.

He walked like that for a long time...

"Huff, m-my lord! My lord! You can't go that way!"

...When he looked back, he saw the merchant panting and chasing after him. Kadim slowed his pace.

“That road… it goes right to the border patrol. We have to go back… take the side trail over there.”

He’d been so lost in thought that he’d taken a wrong turn. Following his guide's directions, Kadim headed back.

Soon enough, they found the side trail overgrown with vines and brush. It looked like nobody had used it for years. At first, they tried to just push their way through, but the brush got too thick. So Kadim went up front and started clearing a path with his axe.

Duncan huffed and puffed following that broad back. After following silently for some time, he hesitantly moved his lips and asked.

"Um, my lord..."

"......"

The shadowed face turned toward Duncan.

"...N-never mind. It's nothing."

Duncan immediately lost his nerve and shut up. Kadim gave him a brief look like he was dealing with the most pathetic guy ever, then continued forward.

***

"Too slow. Can't you go any faster, Ethan?"

"......"

—Neeiighhh, snort...

Ethan, a Paladin of the Order of Elga, looked at his horse.

Its eyes were half-glazed over. Its saliva drooled from its mouth as it breathed roughly. Its neck was soaked with sweat, and its rump was swollen from whip strikes.

But you couldn’t blame the horse. Not when Helia, the woman riding ahead of him, had a mount that wasn’t even an ordinary horse.

Ethan turned his gaze to Helia's horse. He saw a horse with a body not just filled with dazzling light, but made of dazzling light. It was a ‘Radiant Steed’, a sacred mount granted only to Archpaladins.

With a good enough rider, those things can run all day without getting tired. Helia wasn't that good, so hers wasn't quite at full power. Still, it was way too fast for a regular horse to keep up with.

“This horse can’t go any faster, Lady Helia. Besides... shouldn't we have stopped by Molden? We could have gathered some information and investigated the truth behind the rumors about that Baron..."

“The Imperial Family advised the Order to stay out of Molden. Our number one mission right now is to hunt down the monster that killed Linton and put it down. Don’t forget that, Ethan."

"......"

Behind his visor, Ethan made a face like he'd eaten shit.

He really wanted to ask her: What do you think our duty is, exactly? Is it to break a holy relic on some monster that might be as strong as an Archdemon? Is it to hide that fact from the Order so you can take all the credit? Is it to go into a woman’s house, question her, and then cut her down where she stands?

But he kept his mouth shut. If he asked that, the arrogant Archpaladin would just call him a heretic and kill him on the spot.

Helia turned her gaze from Ethan. She gripped her reins and said,

"Judging by the route, that demon is definitely heading for the Alliance territory. We’re going too slow. It’ll cross the border before we catch it. I’m going ahead. You stay back and follow my trail. Make sure we didn't miss anything.”

"......"

Without even waiting for an answer, Helia spurred her horse, and the Radiant Steed took off like a shooting star. Ethan's exhausted horse snorted and stared blankly at the retreating figure.

—Snort

"......"

Ethan swung himself out of the saddle. He grabbed the reins and started walking alongside his horse, lost in blasphemous thoughts.

It was just so unfair. Why did Elga give so much power, so many blessings, to someone like her? Someone so unworthy? Why not to someone who was actually devout?

'...The will of God is more profound than the deepest ocean abyss, and cannot be fathomed by a mere human, who is worth less than a single minnow.'

Even reciting the prayer didn't make the doubt that had taken root disappear easily. The face hidden behind his visor drooped with deep gloom.

As he was walking on like that for some time.

'...Hm?'

Suddenly, a patch of disturbed bushes at the side of the path caught Ethan's eye.

At first, he thought it was a trace of a monster or beast passing through. But when he looked closer, he saw it wasn't that simple. Someone had tried to cover their tracks, brushing over their footprints in the dirt.

"......"

A strange feeling washed over him. He tied his horse to a tree, pulled out his sword and shield, and slipped into the overgrown trail, moving as quietly as he could.

And soon, his hunch was proven right.

The camouflage was only at the start of the trail. The deeper he went in, the sloppier it got. He started seeing bushes that had just been hacked apart. Someone had definitely come this way.

The trail went on and on, deeper into the forest. The brush grew denser. Even in broad daylight, shadows hung so thick that the world's colors were all deep dark green.

Worried he was going to lose the trail, Ethan started moving faster, and his armor started to make noise.

Clank, clank, clank!

And then Ethan found it.

Sun-scorched copper skin, a fierce face, broad shoulders, and an enormous build.

The Demon.

He looked exactly like he had in the vision.

Ethan silently cheered.

He’d found the target, so this goddamn pursuit was finally over.

As for the question of whether he could subdue the demon or not, he decided not to worry about that. His role was simply to locate the Demon and report it. What came after was up to that career-obsessed Archpaladin.

But there was one major problem.

"...!"

Making armor noise at the last moment meant the Demon had spotted him too.

His heart stopped for a moment.

"......"

"......"

One second passed as their eyes locked. 1.2 seconds as his heart fell into his stomach. 1.3 seconds as he saw a massive hand move like a blur.

'...Huh?'

WHIIIIIIRRRL—!!

The barbarian’s axe was flying at him, spinning fast enough and hard enough to rip through steel.

(TL Note: Sacred Knight > Archpaladin)

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