Free Web NovelEntering deep into the ruins was complicated in various ways, but once we defeated the Boss, escaping from the ruins wasn't very difficult.
We just had to pass through the door connected to the side of the space the Boss had been blocking and proceed straight through the corridor, though it was a bit annoying since there were occasional traps.
After walking like that for about thirty minutes, we would reach the end of the corridor.
"Ah, we're finally outside!"
Zain, who discovered the bright light spreading from the corridor's end, ran excitedly. And we were finally able to escape from the ruins.
At the corridor's end were stairs, and climbing the stairs, we could reach the jungle's edge.
"Though I still hate that it's still a jungle, at least we escaped from that detestable ruin."
Zain stretched as if relieved and said. I patted his shoulder and opened my mouth.
"We can escape from the jungle if we just go a bit further anyway, so don't worry."
"At least that's fortunate. By the way, is everything done now?"
Zain asked me with a face full of anticipation, perhaps thinking about finally parting with the insects.
After looking around at Troy and Terdius once, I nodded.
"Yes. It's finished. So Zain, Troy. You two return to the temple first."
"What? Then what about you, Master?"
Zain asked back with a surprised face. I answered the two.
"I still have business remaining. Zain, you must have consumed quite a bit of stamina, so return to the temple first. If Troy goes with you, there won't be any dangerous situations."
"But Church Leader, isn't it dangerous business?"
Troy asked me with a slightly worried face. I shook my head.
"It's okay, even without you, Terdius will go with me anyway. Right, Brother?"
At those words, Terdius nodded. As expected, since Terdius had voluntarily participated in this matter too, I knew he would come along.
"...Then understood, Church Leader."
"You follow this path straight."
I explained the path back to the territory to Troy. After that, Zain and Troy greeted us and left the jungle.
"Then let's go too."
"Yes."
And I changed direction together with Terdius.
***
A distant dimension, somewhere.
On a verdant meadow where a warm breeze was blowing, Kyros was sitting. And from the sky, a sacred pillar of bright-colored light was shining down.
Kyros looked at the light pillar and asked.
"Does your creating such an 'object' and giving it to that child even while violating causality surely mean something will happen?"
Kyros asked while holding in his hand the wine bottle he had just received through Revelof. His expression was quite serious to the point of showing worry.
Then from the light pillar, the voice of the Administrator of this world was heard.
[That's right.]
"What is going to happen again? Otherwise, such an object... don't tell me, is that child going to face the danger of death again?"
Kyros stood up urgently. His expression was full of worry.
[Don't worry, Kyros. It's not something happening to your child.]
At the Administrator's continuing words, Kyros was somewhat relieved. But he couldn't completely shake off his worry. Because it meant an 'incident' would occur that would require that potion.
[I simply wanted to create another comrade for that child, so I did so.]
"A comrade?"
[Yes. Since the unexpected incident of Diego absorbing Shamir's power occurred, I judged it proper to prepare an appropriate countermeasure.]
That meant, in other words, it was all for Kyros and Revelof.
"...I see. Then it's not something where that child will face danger immediately?"
[Right. So don't be too anxious and let's watch the situation first.]
"Yes, understood."
As soon as Kyros's answer ended, the sacred light pillar gradually disappeared. And Kyros sat on the meadow again.
Then he drank the wine from the bottle he was holding and began watching Revelof and Terdius again.
***
I quickly escaped from the jungle together with Terdius. We, who came out to a slightly different place from the direction Zain and Troy had headed, immediately walked forward.
"...Did you sense something, Leviathan?"
When my steps we're hurrying, Terdius spoke. I turned my gaze toward him slightly and opened my mouth.
"Did you sense it too, Brother?"
Then Terdius nodded. Since he was from the Diego Church, he seemed able to detect 'that.'
"If we move for about thirty more minutes, we can encounter it."
As Terdius said. Because 'that' would be right in a small village a bit away.
"By the way, you don't even seem tired."
"Suddenly?"
"I'm saying this because you moved right away for others without even taking rest."
"Well, that's true, but..."
"I know your personality is altruistic and you consider others well, but still, think about your body sometimes too."
I didn't know if it was nagging or worry, but I was a bit embarrassed that Terdius thought of me as good. frёeωebɳovel.com
"Am I that altruistic and considerate?"
"...You don't know?"
"No. It's not that, I just never thought of myself that way."
Because I was just doing things to extend my life.
"It's not easy to step forward for others like this either."
"I know that. However, in this case at least... I'm just doing it because I find the Diego Church unpleasant to see."
I spoke to Terdius with a smile. Then Terdius made a "pfft" sound and laughed quietly.
"I agree with that."
"That's why I asked you to come with me. Those two... I can't arbitrarily wield them because I have a wish I want to achieve. Unless there's a common goal like with you, Brother."
While talking like that, before we knew it, we were able to reach the front of a small village.
At the village entrance, on a broken sign was written the village name 'Zavilon.'
The reason Terdius and I came here was simple. It was because the aura of 'Black Arc' felt from this small village called Zavilon.
Thanks to the increased believers and the holy relic obtained this time, holy power had become abundant, so I could now sense the aura of 'Black Arc' even from a distance.
'And this aura is probably a counterfeit...'
Counterfeit 'Black Arc' had a high possibility of being embedded in a monster, and that meant ordinary people could suffer damage.
'Before, Rawin committed such acts too.'
So I voluntarily came to Zavilon to help them. But was I already too late?
"It seems..."
No people were visible inside the village. And most of the village's houses were broken as if devastated.
"...This smell."
At Terdius's words, only then did I feel a smell pricking my nose. This stench was wafting from everywhere in the village.
Realizing what that smell meant, I immediately looked at Terdius. It seemed Terdius had also noticed what the smell was.
Without anyone saying so first, we both ran into the village.
"As expected..."
Then corpses that hadn't been visible from outside the village, apparently brutally murdered, were sprawled everywhere.
The ground was dyed with blood, and the corpses were considerably damaged. Could there really be no survivors?
Still, I harbored a ray of hope and looked around the village. But no matter how much I looked, survivors didn't seem visible.
"Did you find any survivors?"
After going around the village once, I asked Terdius, who had moved separately. Then Terdius shook his head.
"...Brother, as you well know, the aura of 'Black Arc' is felt around here."
That meant, in other words, the monster still carrying the counterfeit 'Black Arc' was nearby.
Terdius understood my words and drew his sword from its sheath. I was a bit tense since I didn't know what form the monster nearby might be.
"S-save me!"
It was right at that moment that someone's voice was heard.
I could see a man running from the village entrance direction. The middle-aged man with wounds all over his body was being chased by a monster.
A tree-type monster, an Ent with counterfeit Black Arc embedded in it, was running following the man.
"Come this way!"
I immediately shouted toward the man. The man ran toward us, and taking that opportunity, Terdius kicked off the ground.
Whoosh—!
Then the Ent spouted tree branches. Fortunately, the Ent's branches didn't reach him. Because Terdius's sword instantly cut down the branches.
Then Terdius flew up at even faster speed and split the Ent in half in one stroke. It was clean skill without any excess.
"Huff, gasp."
Around then, the middle-aged man entered the village. I immediately approached the man.
"Are you alright?"
"Ah, y-yes. Thank you for saving me..."
The man bowed his head to me. I was about to ask the man right away what had happened, but his limping leg caught my eye.
"I'll heal you."
"Wh-what?"
Taking advantage of the man's surprise, I immediately used the Heal skill on him. Then the leg that had been bleeding and wounded became clean, and the minor wounds all over his body also disappeared without a trace.
"Gasp, g-goodness...!"
The man looked at me with a surprised face. I grinned and smiled at him. Meanwhile, Terdius returned.
"The Black Arc is destroyed."
"That's fortunate."
Then it was time to hear the circumstances from the man. When the village came to be in this state, where the man came from, etc.
"Um..."
I started to ask the man. But the man trembled and urgently shouted,
"P-please save my family too."
"What? There are more survivors?"
I thought there were no survivors in this village, but apparently not.
"Y-yes. That's right. Right after the monsters appeared, my family and I immediately fled the village. But right now my family is being chased by monsters!"
"Understood. Then please guide us to where your family is."
I immediately told the man. Then the man hurried his steps.
"Yes! This way!"
Terdius and I immediately moved following the man. Where we headed was a forest behind the village.
'Don't tell me this is...'
The deeper we went in following the man, the stronger the aura of Black Arc was felt.
I looked at the man going ahead and inwardly sighed. ƒrēewebnovel.com
'Anyone can see this is clearly a trap.'
