NDSIL 20

Chapter 20

Separate Paths

“Nimiral—.”

Carrot of the 1st Battalion spat out a rough curse and twisted the reins. The horse kicked the ground violently, scattering snow far and wide.

At the front, Adrianna was advancing without hesitation.

For the usually calm Adrianna to move so urgently—. The gravity of the situation was palpable.

The other 1st Battalion members also held their reins without a word. Only the sound of hoofbeats spread endlessly through the silent snowy mountain.

How long had they ridden like that—.

Adrianna brought her horse to a sliding stop. To stop so cleanly from that speed—. Truly a fine horse.

‘So we’ve arrived.’

Carrot drew the spear strapped to the side of his horse. The other members also drew their weapons without a word. A thick tension rose.

Then—.

“Demian, stop eating now.”

“It’s tasteless.”

“Then why do you keep eating?”

“Because I’m hungry.”

A murmured conversation was heard from somewhere.

At the peaceful conversation, the 1st Battalion’s footsteps stopped short.

‘They held out!’

Carrot cheered inwardly. Yes, better to be late than to miss them—.

However, the scene visible beyond Adrianna was different from expectations.

People sat around a fire in the center, chattering away. Someone who looked like a soldier kept grilling meat. Everyone was sitting beside him.

The atmosphere was so peaceful that the weapons in their hands seemed pointless, and everyone stopped moving.

“Ah, so you’ve finally come.”

Then, the special task force captain stood and waved his hand. His neat attire was unchanged from before.

“Are you unharmed?”

“As you can see.”

“Where is the demon?”

At Adrianna’s question, the special task force captain pointed to one side. Adrianna drew her sword and headed for the cave.

“We already caught—. She doesn’t listen to the end of a sentence.”

The special task force captain said hurriedly, but Adrianna had already entered the cave.

Carrot followed Adrianna into the cave.

The cave was a mess. Flesh and blood clung everywhere, and the characteristic foul stench of monsters filled the air.

‘So the mole-men weren’t a lie.’

Carrot suddenly noticed strange traces on the carcasses.

‘Fire? Magic—.’

The mole-men couldn’t have simply burned in fire, so it must have been traces of magic. He had thought mages were boastful braggarts, but this was unexpected.

The cave was full of mole-man carcasses. At minimum, there were at least ten.

At the end of the cave was a massive carcass.

It had been burned cleanly, leaving only melted flesh, but Carrot could tell it was at least a mid-rank demon’s corpse.

‘It died burned by fire. Using magic on a demon—?’

Magic was the filth of demons. How could filth harm its master?

“Someone killed a demon with magic.”

At someone’s murmur, everyone nodded. They were not so stupid as to deny evidence placed before their eyes.

“Does that make sense?”

“The evidence is right there.”

“Looking at it, there are many sword marks. These are Sir Gilbert’s sword marks.”

“The sword marks are all shallow. The direct cause is definitely the mage.”

It quickly became noisy. The topic was, of course, magic.

No one denied that a mage had finished off a demon.

“The remaining members will collect the mole-man carcasses.”

At Adrianna’s command, everyone nodded.

Carrot followed behind Adrianna out of the cave.

They were still sitting around the fire, chattering away.

‘Impressive—.’

Carrot headed toward Gilbert to investigate the details.

“Hey, Gilbert. You did quite a spectacular job. Sixteen mole-men, two mages, and a mid-rank demon on top of that—. You must have gotten stronger since I last saw you?”

At Carrot’s words, Gilbert smiled bitterly.

“I didn’t catch them. The Captain did.”

He had somewhat suspected it, but hearing it directly was different.

“The special task force captain?”

“Yes, I just stalled for time.”

“He’s a mage, isn’t he?”

“He’s a very capable mage.”

“Nimi—. So a mage really caught a demon?”

“Yes.”

Carrot suddenly recalled a story he had heard in passing.

It was a rumor he had naturally assumed was a lie. But seeing the current situation, he had no choice but to ask.

“Then is the rumor that the special task force captain defeated Hermun also true?”

“Yes, he defeated him in one blow.”

“Fuck, seriously?”

At Gilbert’s nod, his head grew complicated.

“Well, that bastard is a pervert who runs around without a coat just to show off—.”

Well, not all mages could be weak—. Carrot nodded.

“He must be strong.”

“Yes, he’s strong.”

At Gilbert’s serious answer, Carrot furrowed his brow. For the proud Gilbert to say that—. What on earth had he seen?

‘On par with Gilbert or above.’

Carrot wrote next. Despite his rough manner of speaking, his handwriting was elegant. Having roughly completed the report, Carrot scratched his head vigorously.

“A five-member special task force caught at least one mid-rank demon, sixteen mole-men, and two mages. And even the demon was caught by a mage from the Empire—. Fuck, who’s going to believe this.”

Carrot held out the report to Gilbert and advised him.

“It’d be better to claim it as your own achievement. There are plenty of bastards who’d burn with envy and tear down a mage.”

“No need. How much mockery would I get—.”

At Gilbert’s firm answer, Carrot smirked.

“Well, if he’s a capable mage, he’ll stand out soon enough. Even if they try to obstruct him now. Can you cover the sky with your palm? Rather, it could be used as justification later.”

“You’re saying the same thing as our Captain?”

“Comparing me to a man—that’s rude to a lady.”

“A lady?”

“Gilbert, your way of speaking has gotten quite prickly.”

Gilbert’s mouth twitched. Carrot found that look irritating and considered smacking him once, then held back.

Gilbert subtly turned his head.

There was the special task force captain, talking with Adrianna.

If Adrianna’s expressionlessness made her inner thoughts unreadable, the man seemed to be hiding behind a relaxed smile.

‘They suit each other surprisingly well.’

Carrot added a personal note below.

****

“Is your body alright?”

At Adrianna’s indifferent question, Galahad nodded.

“More or less.”

“You could have waited for support.”

“A opening guest—how could I?”

Adrianna’s eyebrows twitched very slightly. Looking closely, she seemed to be pondering.

“…Ah, you were comparing the first mission to an opening. It was a fine metaphor.”

Adrianna answered seriously.

‘I shouldn’t joke with this woman.’

Galahad muttered softly.

“So how did you find the cave?”

“The mana density was unusually thick. I followed it and—.”

Tada. Galahad pointed to the cave behind him.

“How did you know the mana density was thick?”

It was a question closer to asking for advice than interrogation.

“Because I’m a mage. A mage can tell.”

“Ah, because you’re a mage—.”

“You look disappointed.”

“Recently, traces of demons connected to mages have been found all over the North. I thought if we could detect them, we might be able to respond better.”

“But you should be able to tell, shouldn’t you?”

“Ah, I am not a mage.”

Was she joking? He wondered, but seeing Adrianna’s serious face, it seemed she was not.

“Don’t you have the property of burning mana? The feeling should differ depending on density.”

“Feeling?”

“When you burn mana, there’s a degree to it, isn’t there? Try grasping it through that.”

Adrianna’s eyebrows twitched slightly. She seemed to be pondering.

Galahad had also said it theoretically.

The property of burning mana was as natural to Adrianna as breathing. So it was no different from telling a person who breathes to check the density of the air.

There was no way she could put it to use right away.

He was just teaching her a method of application.

“Ah, so this is it. Hmm—.”

Then, Adrianna waved her hand.

“I think I understand. I never thought there could be such an application. You’re amazing.”

Adrianna offered pure praise, but Galahad could not simply smile.

‘…She did it in one go?’

It was said with the feeling of tossing out a small clue. Yet she had done it in one go—.

‘As expected of Adrianna.’

Galahad admired softly.

“It will be extremely useful. Thank you.”

Adrianna bowed deeply in gratitude. It was a greeting that naturally exuded sincerity.

‘…This could be quite significant.’

She wouldn’t be able to detect someone like Galahad, but with that learning ability, her skill would certainly grow quickly.

If she could detect mana density, she would certainly be able to block the tricks of most mages.

“I’ll repay you later.”

“What would you like?”

“It’s a joke.”

Adrianna’s eyebrows moved slightly. So he shouldn’t joke with her. Galahad renewed his resolve.

“Will you return immediately?”

“Return?”

“Won’t you come with me to the 1st Battalion?”

Adrianna asked in a voice close to certainty.

‘Ah, she thought I would follow her.’

It was a plausible inference. Perhaps Adrianna had assumed that from the moment he left headquarters.

It was true that Galahad had been following Adrianna because of the mana-burning property.

Adrianna was the hero of the North. Staying by her side would make it easier and safer to accumulate achievements. Even on the front line, considering Adrianna’s fighting power, it would certainly be safer.

Attaching himself to her was the natural and rational choice.

However—.

‘The problem is that the Archduke won’t acknowledge achievements built beside Adrianna.’

Plus there were many flies in the North. And there were the bastards called Dawn—.

If he left them alone, the Demon War could happen again.

The most important thing was preventing destruction.

Adrianna and the Archduke were merely means to that end.

Of course, researching her property was also a concern, but—.

‘I can just drop by now and then.’

Having finished his calculations, Galahad nodded while looking at Adrianna, who had frozen like a broken machine.

“You thought I would follow you around. Sorry, but I have separate work to do.”

“Ah—.”

Adrianna let out a death-rattle-like gasp. It was a voice so small it was barely audible. Her cheeks turned slightly red.

“You don’t need to be embarrassed. Anyone would have thought so.”

“…That’s not it. I said it because it would be dangerous if something like this happened again. Your life is heavy.”

“Don’t worry. I’m quite good at fighting, as you can see. Didn’t you see?”

Galahad subtly pointed to the cave. Adrianna shook her head and quickly returned to her usual calm face.

“I have some business to attend to for the time being.”

“Yes, I understand. The deployment of troops is the responsibility of each unit’s captain.”

Adrianna nodded gracefully. Then she took something from her bosom. It was a small, rough-surfaced egg.

“It’s the egg of a curse-laying hawk. If you break the egg, I can come to you wherever you are. If you’re ever in danger, break it and I will come.”

“That’s a gruesome name. But if you break the egg, you can come anywhere?”

“Yes, the mother chases whoever breaks the egg until she dies.”

“Fascinating. How does it work?”

“…You must break it only when absolutely necessary. There is only one.”

“Come now, would I break the egg just because I’m curious about the principle?”

Galahad subtly hid the finger pressing the egg behind his back and smiled.

“I’ll be going. I’ve left the border region for too long—.”

“Ah, we should hold hands before you go.”

“…You don’t seem to be in good condition.”

“I’m fine. I’ve been waiting to hold hands with you, and it’d be a shame to just let you go.”

Adrianna’s eyebrows rose slightly.

Due to overdosing on demon blood, his insides were a mess.

There were remnants of demon blood left inside. Burning them would certainly be better for recovery.

There was also something he was curious about. What did it feel like for demon blood remnants to burn? How would it work—. He was terribly curious.

“Understood.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Adrianna took his hand.

The pain, unfamiliar even the third time, rose in full.

It burned, tore, and burned again. Still, by the third time he did not shamefully scream.

The remnants inside began to burn. The moment that mana fragmented, Galahad felt something strange.

‘The higher the density, the faster it burns.’

That meant that the stronger the demon, the greater Adrianna’s power would become.

What a cheat-like ability. He absolutely had to secure her.

Then, Adrianna withdrew her hand. Galahad had already lost his balance and fallen.

Adrianna, who had reached out to catch him, stepped back.

Galahad raised his head to look at Adrianna and raised the corner of his mouth.

“See? I’m in better condition than last time, right? I fell over, but I didn’t faint.”

Adrianna let out a small breath.

“You… did you just smile?”

Instead of answering, Adrianna bowed her head slightly and stepped back.

“Then, I wish you peace.”

With that, Adrianna took the 1st Battalion and disappeared.

Her speed seemed faster than last time.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m better than I look.”

“Shall I help you up?”

“No need, I can get up on my own.”

Galahad clicked his tongue and raised his body.

‘Clean.’

Galahad muttered as he clenched and unclenched his hand.

This time, rather than not, holding hands with Adrianna had improved his condition.

Of course, his mana had all burned away, but the side effects of the demon blood had disappeared, which was rather good.

‘If I overdose on demon blood, I can just go to Adrianna. So does that mean I can drink a lot?’

Various curiosities rose. Adrianna was always thrilling.

Then, Gilbert coughed softly. He had the face of someone with something to say.

“What is it?”

“Why didn’t you go to the 1st Battalion? You showed your ability, so if you had gone to the 1st Battalion, you could have easily accumulated achievements.”

Gilbert asked in a strange voice.

He was right. Following her would make it fairly easy to accumulate achievements and establish a position.

However, Galahad’s goal was not Adrianna.

Preventing a terrible ending was Galahad’s goal. The Archduke and Adrianna were merely means to that end.

And against demons, he could not achieve the same efficiency as Adrianna anyway. Staying by Adrianna’s side was inefficient.

There was no need to go to someone else’s battlefield.

Galahad’s battlefield was separate.

“The right path is mostly a difficult and painful one.”

Galahad tapped the parchment in his hand.

It was the information he had received from Palho. The parchment contained a considerable amount of information. It also contained information on the impure forces that had entered the North.

If he caught them one by one, he would be able to expose Dawn.

This parchment was Galahad’s battlefield.

‘Is this what they call a wife’s family?’

Galahad joked softly and brushed the snow off his clothes.

“So what will you do?”

Gilbert asked, looking behind him. For some reason, there were Gwen with a serious face as if she had resolved herself, Demian patting his belly, and Tom organizing the luggage—.

They seemed to be asking for the special task force’s direction.

“The North has been noisy lately, hasn’t it?”

“…Yes, for a few years now strange people have been flocking to the North. I don’t know what there is to eat in this barren land that makes them gather like that.”

At Gilbert’s irritated answer, Galahad subtly avoided his gaze.

“We’re going to catch those bastards.”

A sentence written on one side of the parchment caught his eye.

[A Black Magic Society branch is being established in the 5th Battalion, but they are experiencing difficulties due to opposition from forces there. However, it is expected not to take long.]

The 5th Battalion captain’s whisper at headquarters came to mind: ‘I have an interest in magic, so please be sure to visit.’

There was definitely something there.

‘The 5th Battalion is between the other battalions, so—. It would be a good place to establish a headquarters.’

Where one returns to was important.

“We’re going to the 5th Battalion. Everyone get ready.”

Galahad said, putting a cigarette in his mouth.

“Ready!”

Tom answered energetically.

Tom was quite perceptive.