Chapter 34 : Riddles and Answers (3)
“Ugh...?”
“Ah...!?”
The moment a sharp impact resounded, the guard who had taken a blow to the
stomach crumpled to the ground. The remaining soldiers stared at me in
stunned silence, their eyes wide with shock.
But I remained unfazed. I adjusted my stance and tossed out a half-hearted
excuse.
“Apologies for the cowardly attack. But I couldn’t afford to get
caught.”
“Uh...”
“I’m refusing to comply with your orders.”
As soon as I finished speaking, I raised my wooden branch once more. That
alone was enough to sap the soldiers of their fighting spirit. They
exchanged uncertain glances, clearly hesitant.
But they were still soldiers stationed at the kingdom’s border—proud
warriors serving under the hero’s reign. They couldn’t back down so
easily.
“...Truthfully, we were given strict orders from His Majesty to detain you
the moment we found you. The charges against you are... difficult for us to
believe as well.”
“They’re probably false.”
“That may be so, but true or not, we are duty-bound to follow our orders.
Please, comply and come with us.”
“I refuse.”
“Sir Hero ...”
“If you have additional guards, now would be the time to call them all
in.”
“Please...”
“And make sure they’re fully armed.”
“...?”
“You’ll need it.”
I sealed my lips shut, making it clear that I had no intention of
continuing the conversation.
Unease rippled through the guards, murmurs spreading among them like
wildfire.
But the commotion didn’t last long. The lead guard took a deep breath,
steadying himself before declaring in a trembling voice:
“Alpheus, the criminal, hear me!”
“...”
“You are officially wanted for attempting to assassinate His Majesty and
infiltrating the royal palace! As you have refused to surrender, we will now
resort to force!”
“Whoa. Bold move.”
At the guard’s courageous proclamation, the professor let out an
amused remark. Meanwhile, an armed unit surged forward, surrounding me in an
instant.
I waited. I deliberately let them gather.
Dozens of soldiers filled every direction, blocking all paths of escape.
When the guards had finally encircled me completely, one of them whispered
in a low voice.
“If you wish to surrender, this is your last chance.”
“I appreciate your kindness, but I won’t be needing it.”
“Then I’ll make sure you regret it.”
With that, the guard steeled his resolve and raised his weapon.
“Arrest him!”
“UOOOOHHHHH!!!”
“Haaah...”
I met their fierce battle cries with a single, steady breath. Then, as they
all lunged toward me, I threw myself into the silver tide without
hesitation.
“As expected, huh.”
“I thought you’d lend a hand, Professor.”
“It wouldn’t be fair to stack even more odds against them when they’re
already facing an asymmetrical fight.”
“I just hope that ‘fairness’ doesn’t come back to bite me.”
Roughly thirty minutes passed.
The soldiers had fought with commendable bravery. But, unfortunately, the
outcome was never in question. As they lay sprawled across the ground, I let
out a small sigh of disappointment.
The professor, however, simply shrugged nonchalantly.
“A sage’s value isn’t in personal combat, but in boundless wisdom. If you
seek guidance in that regard, I’d be happy to oblige.”
“In that case, I’m planning to take all the equipment here. Any suggestions
on how to transport it?”
“...All of it? Do you really need that much?”
“My fighting style tends to be a bit... inefficient.”
“Even so, I doubt you’ll need this much.”
“But Jorfe is pretty good at handling logistics.”
“Sigh...”
The professor let out a deep, weary sigh before grumbling and picking up a
sword that had fallen from a soldier’s grasp.
Not exactly the help I was hoping for, but help was help.
While I was mulling over my next steps, the goblin girl began rifling
through the fallen soldiers’ belongings with her tiny hands.
“You don’t have to help with this.”
“Eh? What are you talking about?”
“Uh... Aren’t you trying to help me? Then what are you doing?”
“I’m collecting their souls.”
“Wait. No. Absolutely not. These people are still alive.”
“They are? No wonder they were twitching.”
She sounded genuinely surprised as she poked at a fallen soldier’s back.
Unlike the others, this one flinched violently, his whole body
trembling.
A recruit, maybe?
That made him the perfect candidate for gathering additional intel. I
crouched beside him and gave his shoulder a firm pat.
“I know you’re awake. Get up.”
He remained frozen, his breathing shallow.
“If you keep ignoring me, I’ll hand your soul over to the
necromancer.”
“H-h-hurk! Anything but that...!”
“...”
A textbook example of a cowardly rookie.
He was so terrified at the mere mention of a necromancer that he
immediately dropped to his knees, adopting the most subservient posture
possible.
“P-please! I’ll answer anything you ask! Just don’t... don’t let the
necromancer—!”
“If you only speak the truth, that won’t happen. But if you dare lie, that
giant sage over there will know.”
“Y-Yes! Of course! I wouldn’t dream of lying!”
“Then let me ask you. Where are we right now?”
“Uh... What?”
The soldier gaped at me, caught off guard by the unexpected question. But
he quickly collected himself and answered.
“This is Guarkadu, the southernmost region of the kingdom. From the
capital, it would take over three months on horseback to reach here.”
“So it’s quite the remote outpost.”
“Yes. That’s why, when we first heard the news about you, we didn’t think
you’d actually come all the way here. And yet... here you are.”
“When did you hear about it?”
“Not too long ago. At most, about a week.”
So that means my wanted status was issued from the royal palace about three
months ago. As I mulled over this, the soldier continued.
“Since it was considered an urgent matter, the kingdom’s orders were
relayed swiftly. I heard they even used a unicorn—one of those rare
creatures—to deliver the message. It must have taken less than a month for
them to reach here.”
“Is that just speculation? Or did you hear that directly?”
“It’s just my guess. I’m only a recruit, so I don’t know much...
Please...”
“I understand.”
“...”
“Have you heard any news of the Queen?”
Even though I knew the answer, the question slipped out before I could stop
myself. As expected, the soldier blinked at me blankly, having no idea what
I was talking about.
I sighed and turned away, resigning myself to the silence. But just as I
was about to leave, the soldier suddenly grabbed at me, his voice
trembling.
“S-Sir Hero ... is it true? Did you really try to assassinate His
Majesty?”
“...”
“N-No, you don’t have to answer. Because we believe in you. There’s no way
you would ever—”
“It’s true.”
“...What?”
“So if another messenger comes, tell His Majesty this: This is his last
chance.”
The hope in the soldier’s voice was met with my merciless response. I
raised my wooden branch once again, my voice unwavering.
“If he still refuses to return what belongs to me, then I may just destroy
his kingdom.”
“Y-Your Grace...”
“And if he continues to ignore me, the King will once again be haunted by
nightmares.”
The moment I finished speaking, I swung my branch down. The soldier
collapsed instantly, completely unconscious.
The professor , who had been observing from the sidelines, let out a small
chuckle as he approached.
“You’re certainly resolved, Hero.”
“I’m simply acting accordingly. I wasn’t given what I was owed.”
“I heard you weren’t always this... aggressive. Could it be that you’re
only this sensitive when it comes to the Queen?”
“Maybe. Who knows?”
“Hmm...”
The professor studied me with a fascinated glint in his sharp eyes. Then,
letting out a sigh, he gestured toward the fallen soldiers.
“That aside, after causing this much chaos, do you really think you can
just waltz into the city? We’ll have to be pretty persuasive with the lord
if we want to get inside.”
“I’m not going in, so it doesn’t matter.”
“What? You never mentioned that.”
“I only came here for information and supplies. Now that I have both, it’s
time to leave.”
“Then tonight, we...”
“Better get used to camping.”
For a moment, I wondered if she would finally give up and return to her
burrow. But instead, the professor merely looked a little tired and
sighed.
“This is shaping up to be a much more exhausting journey than I
expected.”
“You can still back out, you know.”
“No, I’m not quitting. I just wanted to see what modern human cities look
like. It’s a shame I won’t get the chance.”
“Then where’s our next destination?”
“We’re heading south.”
“That’s... not the direction of the capital.”
The professor tilted her head, her voice tinged with confusion.
“You’re not planning to go to the royal palace?”
“As I said before, my final destination is Mirian.”
“But heading south won’t bring you any closer to her.”
“I have something to look into.”
Before I realized it, my hand had instinctively moved toward my
waist.
I traced the thorned vines that had grown there, my fingers running over
the rough texture.
“...If this is truly part of Nerian’s scheme, then I think I finally
understand why you all came to me.”
“Hm? What was that, oppa?”
“You said you’re a necromancer, right? That means you can speak with the
dead?”
“Yeah. A little bit.”
“Even if they died a long time ago?”
“If it’s too far back, it gets tricky... Who is it?”
“The Witch of a Thousand Miles, Nerian.”
“A... witch?”
The goblin girl tilted her head, repeating the name as if trying to place
it. But the professor’s gaze sharpened, a smirk playing on her lips.
“Oh? So you want to ask about the curse? Makes sense. If anyone could
answer that, it’d have to be a witch.”
“Not just any witch. It has to be Nerian.”
“Well... All the witches died on the same day, so it doesn’t make much
difference. But if that’s the case, your journey to Mirian might be delayed
a little.”
“Not at all. If anything, this is the fastest route.”
“The soldier earlier said it takes at least three months on horseback from
here to the capital, even at full speed.”
“It won’t take that long.”
The professor still looked skeptical.
But I answered calmly, without the slightest hesitation.
“If you all truly are tied to my fate, then it’ll take less than half of
that—no, less than a quarter.”