—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Why was the Pope interested in hunting the Demon?
But on second thought, it wasn’t that strange. The Church used Crystal Grass as well, so they would need a stable supply, which meant defeating the Demon.
“But why are you doing it?”
“Well…”
Claire hesitated under my gaze, then sighed and continued.
“…Do you know about the plague in the Elven Forest?”
“Yes.”
“You really do know everything… Yeah, it’s because of that. A messenger from the Elven Forest came to see me a while ago.”
Claire’s story was this:
A few days after she had returned to the battlefield, a group of elves had come to see Evangeline.
They were from Evangeline’s Lightwing tribe, and they had come to ask for help, as a plague had broken out in their village.
“Even so, why are you getting involved?”
“…They offered me something you wanted a long time ago…”
Something I wanted a long time ago? There were so many things I wanted…
“The Ring of Rulay.”
“Ah.”
Right, there was that. The Ring of Rulay was an item needed to complete the “Echoes of the Great Elven Archer Rulay” event.
Completing that event would reward you with the Star Bow, a powerful weapon that made the Archer’s Multiple Shot a basic attack.
“But we don’t have any priests or alchemists we know… so we had to ask the Church for help…”
“I see. But why?”
“……”
“To give it to me?”
Claire nodded slightly. Hmm. But I had Moonlight now, so I didn’t really need it.
And I didn’t play as an archer that often.
So, I patted her on the shoulder.
“Hic?”
“Don’t worry about me. Why don’t you just go back to the battlefield?”
“But!”
“And I’ll take care of the plague.”
“E- Even so… And besides, Hyun-woo…”
“But Mr. Sage, you said that the plague has a chance of turning people into undead. Wouldn’t it be better to have the Hero’s help?”
Valtin, who had overheard our conversation, asked. I shrugged.
“Undead… that’s dangerous. Then I should…”
It would be. The event-related enemies were much stronger than regular monsters.
And the final boss of this event was a bit stronger than the Pale Moon.
But I shook my head.
There was a reason I didn’t need the Hero’s Party, despite their strength.
The boss of this event wasn’t in a dungeon, but in the field.
So, I could just overwhelm it with numbers.
And I had Moonlight, which made it even easier.
There was no need to pull the Hero’s Party from the front lines, where they were doing a good job.
“I can handle it on my own.”
“I… I want to help you… Please? Hyun-woo, I’m not asking for your forgiveness, but…”
“Hey, Sage, I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but she’s asking so nicely… Don’t be so cold.”
I wished he wouldn’t meddle in other people’s business.
I sighed at Valtin’s intervention.
While I was arguing with her, other adventurers could be going after the Demon.
So,
“Let’s deal with the Demon first.”
“…Okay!”
The path to the Demon’s lair was quiet. There wasn’t much to talk about, but Valtin and Galik’s parties were probably watching us nervously.
“Um, Hero.”
It was Valtin’s lover, the lioness beastman Rukendi, who broke the silence. She approached Claire, trying to ease the tension, pointed at me, and asked,
“What’s your relationship with the Sage?”
“Uh… well…”
Claire, startled, glanced at me. As she hesitated, unable to answer, I answered for her.
“Former comrades.”
“Huh? Just that? You were together until you defeated the Demon King, right? Shouldn’t you still be close or something…?”
“Not really.”
It was a purely business relationship. Whatever they thought.
“Then why are you so…”
Claire was the Hero, admired and respected by many. It must have seemed strange to her that the Hero, of all people, would act this way towards me, even if I was the only Sage in the world.
Rukendi, reacting just like anyone who didn’t know the full story, shrugged.
“Aren’t you being a little too nosy?”
“Were you lovers and then you broke up? The Hero’s Party was all women… Hmm… And the Sage is so handsome… Oh my, oh my. Could it be a love triang—”
“Rukendi.”
Valtin grabbed Rukendi’s arm. This was proof that Valtin was an S-Rank adventurer.
He knew how to read the room.
Sensing Claire’s discomfort and anxiety, he intervened. Rukendi said with a hint of bitterness,
“Hmm, sorry. Was I prying too much?”
“No… it- it’s fine. Actually…”
“There it is.”
I cut Claire off and pointed. A humanoid figure, shrouded in black energy, was devouring the corpse of an adventurer.
Good. No one had touched it yet.
“Get ready to fight.”
“R- Right.”
Galik’s party members raised their spears. Valtin and Rukendi unsheathed their claws.
As Claire drew the Hero’s sword, a soft light emanated from it. The Demon, which had been eating, turned its head towards us.
“Ugh.”
There was nothing there. The Demon, a black mass with no eyes, nose, or mouth, roared and charged at us, its black energy exploding outwards.
Just like in the game.
“Light!!”
I immediately transformed Moonlight into a staff and held it out. A bright light erupted from it, instantly dispelling the black energy. Claire, who had been hesitating earlier, charged forward.
–Slash!
Her single strike decapitated the Demon. A powerful attack, befitting the one who had helped defeat the Demon King.
Of course, it wouldn’t die from a single blow.
–Swoosh!
The severed head dissolved into darkness and was reabsorbed into the body. Galik’s party’s spears pierced the Demon’s body, and Valtin’s claws tore at its back.
“Hyaaaah!!”
Rukendi’s kick sent the Demon flying. As it tumbled to the ground, Galik tilted his head.
“This is easier than I thought.”
“It’s not over yet.”
The black energy reformed, and the Demon stood up, seemingly unharmed. Claire, surprised by its resilience, gripped her sword and muttered,
“H- Hyun-woo, that…”
Yes. We had fought a regenerating enemy like this before.
The Formless Darkness, a subordinate of the Demon King.
The Hero’s Party had almost been wiped out back then.
I held out Moonlight and gave Claire instructions.
“The strategy is the same, so let’s do that.”
“But we don’t have Leventia and Evangeline… Sh- Should I call them?”
Claire gripped the Hero’s sword, as if to open a portal, but I shook my head.
The reason we had struggled back then was because of our party composition.
There was another way to deal with this kind of enemy.
“Hey, are you guys ready?”
“Huh? Oh.”
As Galik’s party members readied their spears, Valtin clasped his hands together. The Demon, sensing the danger, charged at him.
“Block it!!”
Rukendi, I, and Claire blocked the Demon’s attack. Valtin’s mouth opened.
“O great ancestors! Let your teachings take root here! Let the valor and roar of the lion be with us!!”
“Huh?!”
Claire, who had parried the black energy with the Hero’s sword, looked at Valtin in surprise.
Everyone misunderstood him because of his size, his aggression, and his fighting style.
He wasn’t a warrior.
“Consecutive Fists! Heavenly Ki! Power of Valor! Power of the War God!!”
Holy energy erupted from Valtin’s hands and enveloped their spears and fists.
The immense holy power even surprised the Demon. I used Light on the Demon again, then retreated and placed a hand on Valtin’s head.
Mana Transfer.
As I replenished Valtin’s mana, which he had expended using his powerful buffs, he cast his final buff.
“Lionheart!!”
The Monk’s ultimate skill.
A powerful skill that used all of his mana to increase the party’s attack power was successfully cast.
It drained quite a bit of my mana, but it didn’t matter.
“Kuaaah!”
Because I had the alchemist’s mana potion.
I downed a mana potion, recovering my mana, and held up Moonlight.
The Monk’s buffs were complete. Now for the priest’s buffs.
“Bless! Striking! Haste! Star’s Blessing! Praise the light! O light! Have mercy on us!”
I used all the holy power I could muster to cast every buff I knew on them.
My buffs, his own buffs, and the buffs from Galik’s party.
As Valtin, fully buffed, grinned, I held up Moonlight and shouted,
“Smite him!! Bind!!”
My final spell, which used all my remaining mana to bind the enemy, successfully caught the Demon. As it struggled, unable to move,
The Monk, whose momentary DPS was unmatched, unleashed a torrent of attacks on the Demon.
[Achievement Unlocked: Demon Slayer]
“…I- Impressive.”
In terms of pure attack power, there was no class stronger than a fully buffed Monk.
And Valtin, a lion beastman, who received a bonus to his physical stats, was a perfect fit for the Monk class.
And with all the buffs I had cast on him, it was no wonder the Demon couldn’t withstand his assault.
“Wow~ they said it was easy to travel with you, and it really is. I didn’t expect you to be able to cast Lionheart.”
“That’s why you should add an alchemist to your party. It’s because you two always travel alone.”
“Don’t give us a hard time about traveling as a couple. And don’t you know? If you add another party member, they might steal your lover…”
“Then take someone of a different race. How many furries can there be? Or take a woman.”
“The world is wide, and tastes are varied.”
“And if you ever meet a homewrecker, just smash his head in. Why are you being so timid? You’re a lion beastman, for god’s sake.”
Valtin grinned at my chiding and looked down at the completely destroyed Demon’s corpse. The black energy had vanished, revealing a normal-looking, middle-aged man.
The only unusual thing about him was the black stone on his forehead, the mark of a Demon.
“Such a strong Demon, and no loot?”
“What did you expect? Just take its head and report to the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“You’re not coming?”
“I’m busy. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Hmm. Should I leave the reward money at the guild in your name?”
“Yes. Ah, and instead of the reward money, buy some Loril Ore and leave that for me.”
That was also an ingredient for the plague cure.
“Alright, let’s disperse.”
Normally, I would have gone with them to report, but I didn’t think Valtin or Galik would try to cheat me.
If they did, they would face the consequences.
“Alright, good work. Contact me if anything comes up.”
“See you later.”
Valtin and Galik said their goodbyes and headed down the mountain. Only Claire remained.
I opened my bag to gather some Crystal Grass. She hesitated, then said,
“Hyun-woo…”
“Hmm? What.”
“If… if our party composition… had been different… would it have been easier to defeat the Demon King?”
“I wonder.”
“Seeing Mr. Valtin’s strength… I can’t help but think… that it wasn’t the Hero’s sword… but the Sage… that was needed to defeat the Demon King…”
“Hmm…”
“And… that I… that we… are nothing without you.”
Claire closed her eyes tightly. She took a step closer and placed a hand on her chest.
“Hyun-woo, once again… I sincerely apologize…”
“There’s no need to apologize. It was a business relationship. Just like with Valtin and Galik’s parties.”
Wasn’t it best to go our separate ways after we had both gotten what we wanted?
At my response, Claire swayed for a moment, then bit her lip.
“Then let’s establish a new relationship. Business or whatever, I don’t care. I’ll agree to any terms. I’ll do whatever you want!”
I looked at Claire and smiled.
Was there any need to maintain a business relationship I didn’t need?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
