Chapter 2 – Hardened. Will.

Leo and I often clashed. It could have been because of overlapping positions within the party, but their basic tendencies were different, and they often quarreled. But on that day, both Leo and I came up with a unified opinion.

“Fuck. Fucked.”

Like a fucking smart kid.

I think so too.

I wanted to say that, but my mouth was frozen and I couldn’t. No, to be precise, my whole body stiffened and I couldn’t do anything.

When we reached the ruined castle, the one who appeared in front of us was not the devil, but the last four emperors. Even his name was unknown, he used powerful magic and brought our party to the brink of annihilation several times.

We fought for three days and three nights. The battle was so fierce that the blue moon turned red and the hard earth split in half, but damn. What does that matter What mattered was the result.

I did defeat him. However, there were some casualties.

Everyone suffered big and small injuries, but Rick and Bobby were the most severe. Rick’s life as an archer was nearly over when his right index finger was amputated, and Bobby suffered a head injury and went into a state of delirium.

Of course, I was the one who suffered the most.

Before dying, the last four kings muttered something to me, who was at the front. Just when he was careless, thinking that it was just a meaningless death, his body began to stiffen from the tip of his toes. And at the same time that his lifeline was cut, his whole body hardened like a stone.

As soon as he saw my body stiffen, Leo hurriedly cut the head of the Four Heavenly Kings, threw down his sword, and examined my condition. No matter how I tapped his shoulder, shined a light in his eyes, or pulled his hand outstretched forward before it stiffened, nothing changed.

“Fuck. Fucked.”

“What do you mean? Did something happen to Luca?”

Nadia was the first to run. As the de facto leader of our party and my spiritual anchor, she quickly grasped the situation like a knight.

“Oops. Cursed. Bobby! Come and check it out!”

“Uhhhhhdever dared someone talk to me?”

Nadia hurriedly called Bobby, the priest, but he couldn’t even stand properly. She bit her lip and called Sarah this time.

“Then Sarah should check it out. Sarah! Where is it?”

“Why? I’m busy right now. Rick…”

“Don’t fucking go Sarah! My…My finger is cut off right now! It’s the index finger too! Try attaching it somehow!”

“I’m trying too! But no matter how nasty a cut like this is…”

“A genius wizard! How can you be a genius wizard when you can’t even do this!”

“Damn it. Stop whining, Rick.”

Then Leo came out to sort things out. He forced Sarah to her feet and brought her to me.

“Sick fingers are not the problem. Luca could die like this.”

“What? Luca is… Dying? It can’t be!”

As soon as Sera heard that I was going to die, she rushed this way. Watching her chant this and that spell, I felt hope for a while, but unfortunately, it didn’t seem to have any results.

“How about counting. Do you know what kind of curse it is?”

“That…That’s…”

“You don’t know? Then tell me quickly. Don’t waste your time.”

“Who doesn’t know? Wait a minute! I’m looking into it!”

“Then hurry up. If this is the kind that takes away life force, Luca will really die.”

“Okay, so you should be quiet too!

Sarah screamed and screamed in anger. Then Rick, who was holding on to her wound, came over and frowned.

“Damn…If you don’t know, look at my fingers quickly. And are you sure this bastard is alive? Isn’t he dead?”

“Don’t talk like that!”

“Then let’s check it quickly. First of all, shouldn’t we check whether we are dead or alive. That way, whether we give up or not…”

Then, suddenly, Nadia slapped Rick on the cheek with her fist. Her heart wasn’t my punch, but it was enough to shut up the whining Rick.

“If you’re just going to keep saying pessimistic things, just shut up Rick. And shall we be honest? The only thing that’s hopeless right now is your finger. I’ve never heard of a regenerating wound that was cut like that. So I’d rather burn it with fire to stop the bleeding. Make sure.”

“What? Jasik Lee…”

Rick’s temper spurred on, but he backed away, gnashing his teeth as if he wasn’t confident enough to beat Nadia in strength. Nadia looked behind him and then turned back to Sarah.

“…So. Are they alive? Can you confirm that?”

“Uh…That’s…”

“I’m alive.”

At that time, the last person who had been silent opened his mouth. As the party members turned her head, Ellie came towards me with calm steps.

“If you look carefully, the air around you is being sucked into your nose. That means you’re breathing.”

“You see that, Ellie? I’m not sure…”

“If you don’t know, you can put your finger on it.”

Soon a soft finger approached the bottom of his nose. The scent of peppermint was evident even through the fishy smell of blood. It was Ellie.

“Look. He’s clearly breathing. Maybe it’s a curse that leaves the internal organs untouched and only the outer part petrifies. Or maybe Luca’s exorcism has halved the effect.”

Ellie said that and then she came to me and she whispered.

“How about Luka. Can you hear my voice? If you hear it, can you respond somehow? Like blinking your eyes. Or moving your fingers.”

Damn it in action.

But nothing could move. Ellie scanned my body thoroughly and when there was no movement, she gently closed her eyes and said,

“Anyway, it seems impossible to express a will. But I am still alive.”

“Is that so? If so, how to unlock it? Do you know that too?”

Nadia, who was putting her finger under my nose, hurriedly asked Ellie. Then Ellie shook her head slightly.

“I don’t know. That’s something that Bobby and Sarah need to work on. Right Sarah?”

“Huh? Yeah. That’s right. I’ll have to look into it.”

“Then let’s set up a makeshift camp here and work on a way to bring Luca back while healing her wounds.”

“What? Let’s set up a camp?”

Leo raised an objection to Ellie’s words.

“This is right in front of the Devil’s Castle. But let’s set up a camp? That’s suicidal.”

“Well, I don’t think it’s that dangerous. Even when we were fighting the Four Heavenly Kings right away, there was no sign of reinforcements coming from the Devil Castle. I don’t think they’re in a position to attack us hastily either.”

“I can’t be sure. Maybe they waited for us to weaken.”

“Then, it seems that now is the best time for the Demon Lord. But the fact that there is no movement means that the other side doesn’t want a fight either.”

“Then, why don’t we go and fight the demon king now?”

“Can we do it without Luca?”

At that, Leo shut his mouth. It’s not like that at all, but I felt a little proud.

“…Okay. Then let’s set up a camp. After all, everyone’s in a bad state.”

“Once it’s decided, we’ll have to move quickly. Then Sarah. Continue to look at Luka’s condition, and Ellie and I will set up camp. In the meantime, Leo take care of the injured.”

“That…Yeah. Okay. I’ll try my best to find out.”

“Then let’s move. We don’t have much time.”

Ellie nodded her head, then she sneaked up on me and whispered.

“Wait a little Luka. I’ll be sure to release you.”

A small but confident voice. Listening to the tone that even made me feel determined, I couldn’t help but believe that I would definitely be released.

But the problem is that it’s a matter of when it’s released, I realized it wasn’t until that night.

Nadia.

The beginning of everything and my teacher. And maybe a dream.

If a little girl’s dream is to become a princess, a young boy’s dream is to become a knight. Usually, when I was in puberty, I faced reality and wrote down my dreams, but I had few peers who would tell me that it was shame, so I dreamed of becoming a knight until I became a young man. Even if the possibility of realization converged to 0, a miracle could have happened.

Nadia was that miracle.

She was the very image of the knight I dreamed of. A dignified attitude and beautiful swordsmanship at any time. And a very trivial but beautiful appearance. Watching her wield a longsword with her golden hair fluttering, I grew up dreaming.

…

Well, of course. After recruiting Leo, as the number of party members who use swords increased, her position narrowed a bit. But she was still the party leader and charismatic commander. Without her, we wouldn’t have come this far.

It was the week since I was petrified.

After setting up camp, the party members decided to set up a vigil as always. Night is the time of demons, so if you don’t prepare, it’s only a matter of time before you’re killed.

On a day when the moon was especially bright, Rick and Nadia stood vigil together. Rick, who is sloppy in everything, and Nadia, who is strict in everything. In a way, it could be said to be the worst combination.

“…Fuck. I’m injured.”

Rick complained every time he woke up. Others knew his character, so he got by, but not as well as Nadia.

“Isn’t it a burden that everyone bears together? Don’t complain.”

“Then why are you missing Mr. Bobby? It’s not fair.”

“Isn’t he out of his mind?”

“I should have pretended to be crazy and lay down. It’s a world where you lose money if you’re honest.”

“If it was Luca.”

Nadia suddenly mentioned my name.

“If it had been Luca, he wouldn’t have complained, even if his arm had been cut off.”

…

You trusted me so much.

This side was sentimental, but Rick frowned as he spat on the floor.

“Is it my fault that I’m not stupid like that bastard?”

“Rick! Don’t talk like that!”

“Why. Would you give me a punishment? Knight?”

“I will not forgive you if you keep saying useless things.”

“Under…”

Rick sighed and stood up from his seat.

“Fuck you, useless piece of shit.”

“What now?”

“I’m going to the bathroom. You’re not going to say anything about that?”

The two glared at each other for a moment. Soon, he shook his head from Nadia’s side and averted his gaze.

“Okay. Come back. Instead, don’t stay too long.”

“If it takes a long time, it will take a long time.”

Rick vomited his dissatisfaction until the end and disappeared out of my sight. Nadia watched the back with her eyes, then turned her head away again.

“Ha.”

She let out a light sigh and loosened her stiff posture a little. Then she tilted her head and made her yawn.

“Whoa, whoa…”

It was the first time I saw it. It felt terribly awkward for her to be in such a defenseless position, not to mention her yawning in front of others and not even resting in a comfortable posture. Nadia looked at me with her strange eyes and opened her mouth.

“Luca. You’re a really tired guy.”

Iknow, right.

I tried her answer in her mind to her, who would not be heard.

“I thought I was a bit useful now. What if I suddenly stopped by myself?”

…Sorry. Master.

“Well, of course it was time to stop. You’ve suffered more than most knight cadets. After all, it’s a pity to compare yourself with them. You’re different from those common guys.”

Thank you for your words.

I’ve never said anything like that before. It felt a bit vulgar to bring up such a story after becoming a stone, but at the same time, it was fun to think of it as an opportunity to hear her sincerity.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect you to do this. FirstEven when we met, you…Um…Yes. He looked like a commonplace country boy. Don’t think bad Anyone but me would have thought so.”

So was it? At first, I rolled really hard. If I fell asleep exhausted after swinging the sword all day, I had to pick it up again as soon as I woke up the next day. Not once or twice did I want to give up. I made up my mind dreaming of becoming like you someday.

Suddenly, the past passed by like a kaleidoscope. Nadia said with a smile that she remembered similar memories.

“So there’s a feeling that I rolled a little harder. I’ll apologize for that. Didn’t I grow a lot thanks to you though?”

Oh what Was it like that

“Of course, these words can’t compensate for the hardships of the past. To be honest, it was fun to see you struggling to catch up somehow. How to say… Cute.”

Nadia suddenly scratched her cheek and looked away. I don’t know if she was mistaken for the moonlight, but it felt like her cheeks were slightly red.

“I’m sorry. What do you say to a guy who doesn’t know if he can hear you?”

She shook her head and cleared her throat as she continued.

“I don’t think I’ve ever given you a compliment worthy of a compliment, by the way, do you?”

Not really.

Nadia looked around her, got up from her seat, and came over to me. Then she stood in front of me, biting her lips slightly hesitantly. Somehow, in a serious attitude, I swallowed my saliva that I couldn’t swallow.

After hesitating for a long time, she hesitated and then slowly tilted her head towards me. And she put her lips to my forehead very awkwardly, as if kissing for the first time.

When I felt a soft, yet warm touch on my forehead, I was startled and tried to flinch. Oh my god. Even if it turns to stone, the texture remains the same. The vivid warmth of her body temperature and the fact that Nadia kissed me thrilled my stiff body.

“…Kuhm.”

Nadia slowly parted her lips and looked at me. I had never seen her so close. This time, as she looked at her cheeks and long eyelashes, her eyes flashed without any illusion, and it dawned on her that Nadia was also a woman.

“It’s kind of…A compliment. I don’t know if you can remember it, but if you’re looking at it…”

Nadia hesitated for a long time this time, then whispered in my ear.

“Please keep it a secret from others.”

…

Of course.

Who am I going to tell this to?

She let out a sigh of exhaustion, whether she knew what I meant or not, and fell away from me. And she looked around her in annoyance.

“Anyway, what the hell is this guy doing?

It seemed that Rick hadn’t returned yet. Nadia clicked her tongue and walked away from me again.

“I have to say something. Rick! Where are you!”

If you scream like that, everyone who sleeps will wake up.

She wanted to dissuade her, but her mouth was tight and Nadia walked away.

…

It occurred to her that if she could go back quickly, it wouldn’t be bad for her to be petrified like this.

How much time has passed As the night darkened and vision blurred, other senses took their place. Particularly keen hearing caught the strange sound coming from behind.

It sounded like someone was fighting. Probably Nadia and Rick. After arguing for a while, the two became quiet for a moment, and then suddenly there was a thump and ominous sound.

What the hell is going on. I listened, but I couldn’t hear any more. Soon, the remaining senses disappeared one by one, and drowsiness set in. I was afraid that I might die, but I finally succumbed to the temptation of sleep and closed my mind. Please don’t be a big deal The last thing I thought about was such a futile wish.