Chapter 149: Sunset (32)

I touched the candy in my pocket.

A hard, round texture.

The paper wrapper rustled at my fingertips.

Touching it, I recalled the paintings I had seen in the forbidden library that day.

A coffin placed in the center, and four people standing around it.

Standing there with terribly expressionless faces... that kind of disturbing painting.

It would have been a problem if the chunk of flesh lying in the middle was me, and also a problem if it wasn't me.

Because I didn't want to die like that.

So far, it seems I've been somewhat successful.

However, the things I've wished for throughout my life haven't often come true.

I looked down at the base of the city wall.

I thought only suitably weak ones would poke around the city walls and then leave.

At first, as always, familiar, ugly friends swarmed, clinging to the city walls, then repeating the cycle of fleeing.

It somehow feels pathetic that these poor, desperate cannibal monsters, who aren't even considered demons by other demons, are used in such a way.

Just for eating people, they can't be friends with humans, and though they're broadly called demons, they're treated like beasts by those stronger than themselves, essentially living like livestock without a grass.

Even though they are friendly demons who do nothing but yell around, and sometimes even help deal with refugees who try to crawl in despite being told not to!

Though it was I who left the refugees there, since I didn't kill them myself, I can somewhat bear it.

Even if guilt slowly creeps up, I can just think of it as something my friendly demon pals did.

Conveniently.

This much subsides to some extent after raising a ruckus while drunk at night, and spending some time with Levina.

So, I thought that day would also end roughly like that.

For some reason, the people who had gone out seemed to be returning quite late, but I thought it was nothing.

Because nothing good comes from thinking negatively.

Yet, thinking positively doesn't dramatically change anything either.

It's merely seeing reality through a slightly different colored lens.

"What's the use."

As the soldiers guarding the city walls grew somewhat exhausted, proper forces began to emerge from behind.

They were different from the disorganized rabble from before.

Several demons that looked exactly like humans and seemed incredibly strong, and humans clanking in heavy full plate armor, slowly walking forward.

The knights who hadn't returned were slowly, leisurely coming back, having lost their expensive horses somewhere.

Along with Kyle, who for some reason was gripping her sword without its sheath, dragging her feet as he walked.

Kyle, who didn't seem to have had her stomach slit open and insides removed like me, looked full of vitality.

Seeing her twist her face and make lively expressions, it seemed as if something had happened to her head.

Since she's foolish, she might be much easier to handle than a high-intelligence human like me.

Anyway, she's alive.

As long as she's alive, Estelle will somehow fix her.

So, if I just kill the demons, maybe everything will be alright.

If only the demons, only the demons behind him disappear, won't things somehow return to normal?

Because Kyle is foolish, simple, laughs easily at small things, and always tries to correct what's wrong.

Because she's not like me, who just dismisses unavoidable things as unavoidable; she's someone who can say what's wrong is wrong.

So, this is just wrong.

It's not right for someone who tries hardest and lives diligently to end up like that.

I snatched the bow and quiver from a soldier standing nearby.

And then, I pulled the bowstring and shot an arrow.

Because the arrow carried no special spell, the demon standing behind Kyle lightly swatted it away.

I lightly cast a spell that would make the arrow explode upon impact.

Twisting the bowstring slightly, I drew it and shot again.

This time, Kyle swatted the arrow away with his sword.

Though the arrow exploded, it couldn't even leave a slight scratch.

Ultimately, there seems to be no other way than going there myself.

"Tell the head of the household. To send out requests for support from the surroundings first."

Though I don't know if they'll come.

Saying that, I returned the bow and arrows to the soldier, then looked down at the city wall.

If this was going to happen, I should have just sent Seraphina.

But then if Seraphina got seriously hurt or died, my mind would be filled with thoughts like 'I should have sent Estelle too.'

Knights in full plate armor were climbing the city walls, grasping at the air.

Behind them, the demons and Kyle were just watching, as if spectating.

Indeed, after some time, it seems all the lacking humans died off long ago, and only the knights who were proficient at cutting down demons remained, so they're equally proficient at cutting down ordinary humans.

I drew the sword from my waist and slowly moved towards the first knight, who had climbed the city wall and was diligently cutting down the surrounding soldiers.

He spotted me and approached, presenting his heavy sword.

I didn't parry his swinging sword or clash with it.

Instead, I lowered my body, gathered the gravel and dust on the city wall floor with a spell, and sprayed it directly at his helmet.

With a sharp clang of gravel hitting metal, the knight flinched momentarily.

And then, I shot a stream of water.

It wouldn't hurt, but it would obscure his vision somewhat.

Though the dirt and gravel I'd painstakingly sprayed might be washed away, whatever.

Perhaps because I had spent days shamelessly exposing my inner self to everyone, I knew well what it felt like and what state they were in.

Because what was in front of me, whatever else it was, was at least a living human.

I didn't miss that opening.

I immediately threw the sword I was holding.

Of course, it hit his helmet, made a dull sound, and bounced off.

From the impact, the knight's head snapped back.

Dashing forward, I pulled out a dagger from my pocket.

I stabbed the dagger through the eye-slit of his helmet.

And began to wildly churn it.

There was the sound of flesh and bone grinding, and a squelching sound.

The knight's body thrashed a few times, then went limp.

I pushed the corpse off the city wall and wiped the dagger clean on my clothes.

Another knight, who had climbed back onto the city wall, came into view.

This time, two of them were climbing up simultaneously.

The soldiers had already surrounded them.

I picked up my sword that had fallen to the ground again.

One of them was holding a shield.

Ignoring the human with the shield, I rushed at the knight beside him.

A sword, aimed at me, descended from above.

I dodged diagonally to the side and plunged into his flank.

Having just swung his sword, the knight's side was exposed.

I thrust my sword into the gap in his knee armor.

And twisted it.

He didn't scream or anything.

Because such things wouldn't be permitted for knights.

However, he still felt the pain.

And if muscles are severed, not being able to move is also unchanged.

I plunged my sword into the gap in his wobbling head again and worked it vigorously.

After all, it must be a world he didn't want to live in anyway.

I pushed the second corpse off the city wall as well.

The few knights who had climbed up seemed to have been dealt with by the soldiers.

Now, only one knight remained, holding a shield.

Like the knights who had fallen off the city wall earlier, he was surrounded by soldiers and knocked down.

He was curled up, enduring with his shield, but the soldiers' spears and swords relentlessly struck only the hard parts of his shield and armor.

It was all noise and no real gain.

I watched the scene for a moment, then slowly approached.

I snatched a spear from one of the soldiers.

A heavy sensation transmitted to my hand.

I aimed the spear from outside the soldiers' circle.

I aimed for a tiny gap between the shield and the armor.

Thrust, I stabbed.

The spearhead struck metal and slid off.

Again, I stabbed at a different gap.

This time, it was the elbow joint.

I felt the spearhead penetrate ever so slightly.

The knight flinched and tried to readjust his shield.

Not missing that moment, I stabbed the same spot again.

This time, it went in deeper.

The spasming of his arm was felt through the wooden handle.

I continued to stab at the gaps.

Shoulder, knee, ankle.

All the parts he couldn't block with his shield.

His movements became progressively sluggish.

His resistance weakened.

Then, I slowly approached and pierced the unarmored back of his knee, and he could no longer even stay seated.

The soldiers, not missing the opportunity, rushed in and completely subdued him.

I returned the spear to the soldier and approached the fallen knight.

He was still breathing.

I took out my dagger and crouched in front of him.

Through the eye-slit of his helmet, dull eyes were visible.

And then, slowly pushing the dagger into that slit, I kicked the trembling knight with my foot, sending him over the city wall.

Anyway, even if we kept him, he couldn't be saved.

And who knows what the demons might have done inside his armor.

Nor did I particularly want to try to save him.

Because he was an obnoxious knight, after all.

Seeing him with a shield, he's probably that son of a bitch who used to call me a disgusting bastard who only flaunted his sister's influence.

However, my only friend now visible to me, I do feel like saving him.

I ordered a nearby soldier to open the city gate.

And then, taking a few soldiers who seemed relatively unscathed, I slowly approached Kyle.

The heavy sound of the city gate opening echoed.

A demon looked at me, smiled, and then jerked its chin, and Kyle also began to walk towards me.

Even looking at me with dull eyes, he showed no expression, just approached like a machine.

"I don't like this.

Reconciling, everything seemed to be going well, and then suddenly this happens, I really hate it."

Kyle pushed off the ground and instantly rushed forward, swinging his sword.

"If I hadn't gotten close to you, would this not have happened?"

It was fast, but its trajectory was so straightforward that it wasn't hard to block.

"If I hadn't gotten close to you, if I hadn't known that you hide a lot, that you're surprisingly kind, and have an innocent, pure, comfortable personality, this wouldn't have happened."

The sound of blades clashing struck my ears.

"Licia, that name, I didn't choose it, did I? It's lame, honestly. What's Licia? Moss?

Just the names I first thought of, like Kyla or Karen, or maybe Camilla, those didn't seem bad either."

My wrist tingled.

"I shouldn't have approached you and started talking. I didn't need to get that strong so desperately."

I twisted my body to dodge the incoming sword.

"Because I can just do everything myself. You're foolish, so I should have just left you alone."

No matter what words I strung together, Kyle gave no answer.

Not a single word came back.