Chapter 29

EP.29 Old Acquaintance (1)

The gorge where the Demon Realm and the Human Realm meet.

The stench of blood never leaves Kirmerlt Gorge.

The knights and the Demon King's army clash almost daily. The bodies of orcs and monsters pile up, and over them, the bodies of knights accumulate.

These piled bodies are then offered as sacrifices for the incantations of black mages or shamans. In the gorge where only the stench of blood remains, the knights face the bones and swords of their comrades from the day before.

The knights of Kirmerlt Gorge are expressionless.

They cannot help but be expressionless.

The frontline, a living hell called the Demon Border.

The knights who guard this place are veterans among veterans, those who have seen countless battles.

They do not hesitate to cut down their comrades.

They endure another day in this way.

However.

"Remia."

This night was different.

"Fire."

Arrows rain down.

Under the moonlight, the arrows fall precisely, culling only the Demon King's army. At least two of the Demon King's army are pierced by a single arrow.

Thwip.

The sound of the bowstring being lightly plucked.

The elf's blonde hair flutters in the gorge.

"Sarah."

A moment of respite.

The battered knights look at the woman walking among them. Dressed in a pure white robe, the woman clasps her hands in prayer.

Light spreads from her.

The knights recall her name in the warmth of that light.

The Holy Maiden, Sarah.

Then, the name of the elf standing in the gorge also comes to mind.

The Divine Archer, Remia.

And, their gaze naturally turns forward. Someone leaps from the gorge and stands before the knights.

Swish.

A sword that seems to be forged from starlight.

That symbolic sword speaks of his identity.

The Hero, Kail.

He swung his sword.

A light slash bisected the gorge.

"Oh, oh..."

"Ooh, ooh, ooh!"

The knights cheer at the hero's appearance. That is what a hero is. His presence alone boosts the morale of the knights.

The number of allies is not important.

The fact that a hero is present on the battlefield is what matters.

'The hero is with us!'

The knights stood up.

'The stars are with us!'

They raised their spears and swords. Under the moonlight, the knights advanced. The hero was with them.

It was only one night, but.

That day, Kirmerlt Gorge was in the hands of humanity.

*

"Aah, it smells like my clothes. Ugh! This is why I hate undead!"

"I know. We couldn't even properly collect the moonlight arrows. This is why I don't want to come to Kirmerlt Gorge."

The lodging prepared for the hero party.

"Doesn't it seem to have taken longer today?"

"Yeah, it does. With Kail, it usually doesn't take more than an hour, right?"

"Today, we almost stayed up all night?"

"…Yeah."

Sarah and Remia were watching Kail's reaction.

Kail was silently polishing his holy sword.

Though they weren't watching his reaction, Sarah and Remia knew why the battle had been delayed.

'The Sage, Raniel.'

The magician who had recently left the party.

They had to feel his absence several times while fighting the Demon King's army.

When a wyvern that arrows couldn't penetrate appeared.

When black mages raised the undead.

When shamans tried to make offerings.

They recalled Raniel's figure.

They couldn't help but recall it.

Usually, he would clap his hands and snap his fingers, and the problem would be resolved.

'So, I thought it would be an easy task...'

It wasn't easy.

To block the black mages, Sarah had to use a massive amount of divine power. To pierce the wyverns, Remia had to use her precious moonlight arrows.

And, the shamans.

To stop the damn shamans' offerings, Kail had to leap into the Demon King's army, prepared to be injured.

'The bigger problem is...'

Even then, they couldn't completely reduce the casualties.

Knights died.

About the same number as usual.

The extent to which they reduced the battlefield casualties directly affected the evaluation of the hero party, so Sarah and Remia had no choice but to bite their lips.

'Again, it's that magician.'

It was also due to Raniel's absence.

Originally, while Kail wreaked havoc on the battlefield, Raniel would hold the front line. He would stand in the same position as the knights and hold the line until Kail returned.

Kail, who used the battlefield as his stage, wreaking havoc on a large scale.

Raniel was the only one who could support him.

The knights couldn't keep up with the hero's movements. The knights who tried to follow the hero forcefully became a burden.

The result was disastrous.

"Tsk."

Remia clicked her tongue.

"It's fine. They were going to die soon anyway."

"That's true. It would have ended up like this eventually."

They knew Raniel was a capable magician.

They didn't chase him away without knowing that this would happen if he left.

'Anyway, it would have ended up like this.'

That's what they thought.

Raniel's condition was not good.

During the battle, he had to vomit blood several times, and his condition was worsening day by day.

'Soon to die or become a cripple.'

So, they abandoned him.

"Hmm."

Sarah smiled bitterly and twisted her lips.

"Besides, he's probably suffering a lot right now?"

She remembers.

"Without my healing, he wouldn't be able to endure the 'cycle' that comes once a month."

Once a month.

The day Raniel's eyes turned black.

2.

"Damn it, what the hell."

I was startled when I saw my reflection in the mirror in the morning.

My eyes were black.

"Ah, today, huh?"

I placed my hand on my heart.

I could feel the curse that had gnawed at one side of my heart stirring.

"Ugh."

When I spat out blood, it was black.

'So that's why my throat felt a bit sore.'

I undid my robe and placed my palm on the spell stored on my chest.

Ash.

Gray mana seeped into my body. The spell I had mastered while fighting the succubus, a mana that swallows curses.

Thump, thump.

My heart beat strongly.

My throat itched.

"Cough, cough. Ugh."

After spitting out blood a few times, my black eyes returned to normal. Of course, I didn't completely remove the curse.

'I just suppressed it