Book 14 Chapter 13
Episode 30
“How are things these days?”
Rista asked.
“The entire continent is in chaos. The <Ikegrad Prison> collapsed, and the escape of all the heinous criminals from there exacerbated the disorder.”
A paladin belonging to the Inquisition, [Children of Gold], glanced at the captured mercenaries.
“And if even a platinum-grade mercenary group ends up like this… I don’t even want to imagine what the future holds.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll do our best to find the flesh.”
“It’s truly reassuring that you, humanity’s strongest soldier, will do so. Well then.”
Even after handing over the two mercenaries to the Inquisition, our southward journey continued.
“Lin, look!”
We continued south for two more days and reached the Eleonore Great River Basin.
The northern border.
A river like the sea.
This vast river is formed by tributaries originating from hundreds of peaks in the Eternal Mountains in the eastern part of the Empire and flows into the North Sea.
“It’s the Eleonore Great River! You’ve never been this far, have you?”
Perhaps because the feeling of getting farther and farther from the magic tower grew stronger, I could feel a slight emptiness in my chest before falling asleep.
However, I am now a member of the hero's party, and by accompanying this strongest being, I will surely learn things I couldn't learn in the magic tower.
Though I tried to comfort myself like that…
We did not rush through such places to eradicate the demonic beings that appeared at the end of the world.
“Oh no, you’re worried about the village’s livelihood because a dangerous magical beast suddenly appeared? How could this happen! We must roll up our sleeves and help!”
Because it was this kind of development again.
“Now is the season for salmon to come up in schools.”
“Are the salmon also trying to get a piece of the flesh?”
At my words, the village elder tilted his head.
“Flesh? I don’t know what that is, but salmon usually come upstream to lay their eggs around this time. Upstream villages like ours gain a lot from salmon. Not just clothes… even my shoes are made of salmon skin.”
Hmm, do riverside villages use fish scales like leather? That's novel.
“But a strange magical beast appeared in the middle reaches of the river. It was so elusive that it ate all the salmon, and several subjugation teams were defeated.”
Rista placed a hand near her heart and said coolly.
“Village Elder, we'll take that request.”
“I’m sorry, but the village isn’t wealthy enough right now to pay the full price for a subjugation request….”
“Payment? The most delicious salmon dish in this village will be enough.”
The journey, staying in commoners' homes, was always like this. I lifted my gaze from the grimoire and glanced up at the clear, taut sky of the north.
“Sigh, this will be another unnecessarily long stay.”
“Kyugyuung.”
The village smelled of fish.
Children could be seen running, carrying baskets filled with river snails and crabs they'd collected from the riverside on their heads.
Under the sunlight, dried fish spread on cloths were drying.
“Wow, this is incredible! Especially the way it pairs perfectly with this sauce!”
Rista always…
“Haha, this young woman really eats heartily!”
She looked less like a hero and more like a gourmet adventurer on a quest for delicacies.
“Lin, you try it too, quickly!”
The salmon sashimi offered by the village had a truly mystical flavor.
They said it was freshly sliced, then buried under snow to freeze, and it truly melted in one's mouth.
Since the magic tower was in the mountains, such cuisine was far removed from our experience.
“This snowflake is so cute!”
“Kyugyut!”
“It’s called a Seubal. You need to get permission from that brother over there before you touch it.”
Whenever I watched Rista quickly befriend the villagers and bring smiles to any village, the image of the Dean came to mind, and for some reason, a corner of my heart felt empty.
Who was the disciple, really…?
If Rista had been a mage, many would probably have mistaken her for the Dean’s disciple. They were that similar.
“?”
Just then, I felt a gaze and looked up to see the village elder staring at me intently.
“Young man, perhaps….”
“?”
“No, never mind.”
After finishing the meal, I sat by the riverbank and tried to use magic.
What should I do?
The light the Dean had shown me on the day we first met still wasn't manifesting in my magic.
That’s why I want to become the strongest as soon as possible. Because I want to use magic that emits such light.
It was then that Rista came to find me.
“Lin, why do you look sulky?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Lin, your expressions are always honest. It’s hard to hide them, even if you try.”
“Not really….”
As I turned my gaze to the water's surface, where the moon and stars quietly shimmered, Rista approached with her hands clasped behind her back.
“It’s not only what’s at the end of the world that’s the Demon King. A being that destroys the daily lives of powerless people is also a Demon King.”
She seemed to think I was still dissatisfied with Rista's humanitarian aid.
Rista took off her boots and walked barefoot on the gravel, smiling.
Whenever I talked to Rista, for some reason, I felt embarrassed. When I was a thirteen-year-old greenhorn, I didn’t know the nature of that emotion.
“A Demon King that destroys daily life?”
It was inspiration.
It was merely the childishness of not wanting to admit I was wrong that made me confuse that feeling with humiliation.
“Of course, the one who just splashed water on Lin’s face isn’t the Demon King, but a beautiful and lovely hero~!”
Suddenly, Rista splashed river water right onto my face and laughed. Water streamed down my wet hair, and the river’s fishy smell stimulated my nostrils.
“Magic circle construction, trapezoid.”
As I lifted the water to the size of a house with telekinetic magic, Rista’s face turned pale.
“W-wait a minute! How about we call it even? I was wrong! Gaaah!”
Of course, there is no forgiveness in the strongest mage's dictionary. A moment later, Rista, completely soaked in river water, sat beside me and lit a bonfire.
“Of course, going straight to catch the Demon King would also have its own meaning.”
In Rista's voice as she looked into the fire, the playful tone from just moments before had vanished.
“But I… when we all look back on this journey later, instead of just talking about ‘how hard it was to catch the Demon King,’ I think it’s better to say, ‘On the way to catch the Demon King, we fought a monster that was wiping out the salmon, and we even splashed water on each other, so looking back, there were many fun things too.’”
In one's youth, one tends to pursue only what one likes, that is, efficiency. Therefore, inwardly, I couldn't agree with Rista's words.
It seemed better to quickly defeat the Demon King and just finish the journey, whatever it was.
As I was lost in such thoughts, Rista suddenly gave a wistful smile and left me with these significant words.
“If there are many fun memories like these, won't Lin continue to remember me and not forget me?”