## Chapter 1030 – The Curious One

“I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve seen you!!!!”
“I’m so happy, I feel like my mouth is going to tear open, Hahahahahaha!!!!”
“Kekekekekekekekekekekekek!!!!!!”

Joy erupted.

The laughter, shouted loudly, overwhelmed the space. The joy felt was beyond imagination. To meet Captain Vakerel as soon as I arrived? It seemed the timing was exceptionally good. Extremely good.

“Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!”
“Kekeke-kekekekekek!!!!”

Amidst the unending laughter, we clasped hands and spun around rapidly. I couldn’t control the manic impulse rising from within.

ㅡSpinning around and around!!!

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”

While spinning, Captain Vakerel suddenly screamed, released my hand, and pressed his palms to the ground. Then, as if he hadn’t fully evolved, he went on all fours and, like a cockroach, scurried up a nearby old tree at lightning speed.

ㅡTap tap tap tap tap!!

“Ugh, ugh!! Ughhhhh!!!”

I couldn’t help but scream at the sight…! And that wasn’t all! Reaching the top of the tree in mere seconds, he grabbed a thick branch with both arms like a monkey and moved using only his arms.

ㅡJump!!

He leaped to another tree branch, performing an incomprehensible old man’s fit. Of course, the bizarre behavior didn’t end there.

“Euhahahahahaha!!!”

Captain Vakerel, laughing maniacally, swung between the trees using only his arms, completing a full circle at high speed. Watching him, I felt like I was being drawn into it.

“Haha!!! That’s quite something!!!”

ㅡThump!

Stomping on the ground, my body shot up vertically like a rocket. Soaring into the air, I gracefully spun, showing off my skills before grabbing a thick branch, spinning around, and performing inhuman feats.

“You, too, feel like you have power beyond comparison to before!!!”
“Thank you!!”

Like rivals, we performed bizarre acts, soaring up the trees, screaming, spinning down, grabbing branches again, and launching our bodies. We were nonchalantly doing things that a normal person wouldn’t imagine even in their darkest, most terrifying nightmares, all while acting foolish.

At first glance, this might seem like an unapproachable eccentricity. It was too sudden, an action beyond the realm of normal understanding.

But.

Superhumans like us already know.

There’s nothing better than such extreme overreactions to assess each other’s capabilities. Rotating in mid-air, or screaming in strange situations. In other words, these are extreme situations.

By freely displaying these beyond-the-limit actions, we can inevitably discern each other’s capabilities. It’s the same as rappers or dancers from Harlem barging into another neighborhood and engaging in impromptu rap or dance battles with the local artists.

To ordinary people, it’s just nonsensical bullshit, but to those who know something, it’s an act that can’t help but inspire admiration.

Superhumans have a way of communicating that only they understand. Looking at each other, we can see what techniques and skills are involved in those deformed movements. And beyond that, we can discern the person’s effort and skill level!!!

ㅡTsupat!!

“Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!!!”
“Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!”

We simultaneously jumped from the tops of our respective trees, plummeting into the vast, blue sky while shouting.

ㅡAh!

How beautiful the approaching clouds are! Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single professional superhuman judge in this world to score this beautiful acrobatic performance…!

“Sis! That darkie is going to fly to the moon at this rate!!”
“What is he, a prince of the moon?”
“What crazy prince, that’s ridiculous!!”
“But seriously, the antics. Ugh, that.”

Winnia and Karin’s voices began to be heard from below. Anyway, let’s end the greetings here and go down. We did greet each other a bit too excessively.

ㅡWheeew!

Simultaneously, Vakerel and I fell to the ground, conversing.

“Anyway, Captain. How have you been?”

In a world where everything was upside down, in a space where only Vakerel and I were normal, I felt the resistance of the air and asked casually.

“I’ve always been well!!”
“Hehehe, you seem to be overflowing with energy today.”
“Don’t you know there’s no choice! The demons!!!”
“Yes. The demons have appeared.”

ㅡWhirlick!

Just before falling headfirst, we rotated our bodies and landed safely on the ground.

ㅡThump!

“Very good movements. Certainly. You seem to have become stronger beyond imagination. Such movements are usually impossible. The rotations you showed in the air also far exceeded the normal range.”

Having landed, Captain Vakerel was more serious and dignified than ever. He looked at me as if he saw through everything and spoke.

“You seem to have improved your movements more than before, Captain.”

Unfortunately, he didn’t measure up to me. I showed more beautiful rotations and acrobatics than Captain Vakerel, and that was something we both already knew without saying.

“I’ve defeated countless undead and demons in the meantime. It’s a natural growth.”
“Undead and demons… I’ve heard the stories.”
“I want to hear your story too, but now.”
“There’s other important work to do.”
“That’s right. I can roughly guess how you came to be here. Did you come by order of the Saintess?”
“Exactly. I came with the mission to investigate this area and resolve the situation.”
“As expected!!!”

ㅡCheok!

Only then did I shake hands with Captain Vakerel. Finally, fulfilling the joy of reunion with a normal greeting. That was enough. We were already comrades.

“But suddenly appearing like this?”
“I was just returning for a break. To efficiently annihilate the demons, it’s necessary to take turns deploying and inflict continuous damage.”

It seems the paladins are rotating.

In that way, I talked with Captain Vakerel. Mostly about the current situation. The Paladin Order and the Royal Knight Order are acting separately now. They only move after prior consultation, but that’s probably better.

“Anyway, I’ll tell you my story when we meet next time. What’s important now is to drive out the demons occupying this area.”
“You’re pointing out the core of the incident very accurately…! There’s nothing more to add!”

He smiled broadly and shook my hand like crazy.

“If we don’t quickly subdue them, stronger demons will pour out like a flood! Andromalius, whom we subdued back then! Those things might come back with their full power…!”

He also knew the danger of the Great Demon very well. Of course. We had faced him directly.

“Frankly, if that happens, the defense line will collapse, and either Isvant, Krassheim, or the Dodens barony will be breached. That would be a disaster.”

It’s not just a matter of being breached, but also the fact that the demons’ combat power increases dramatically by slaughtering. If that happens, it’s practically the start of a full-scale war.

We have to stop it.

“I know that very well.”
“Good! Then let’s meet next time…! I’ll be waiting for that time!”
“Understood, Captain!!!”

With that, Captain Vakerel turned and left. Turning back to where he came from, he simply raised one hand in greeting.

“…”

This is the parting of warriors.

Knowing we’ll meet again, we coolly go to do our jobs. Didn’t we just explosively release our joy? It might have seemed crazy, but it’s very efficient for sharing joy when we’re both very busy.

“Is the darkie’s bullshit time over?”
“Hey! Bullshit time! This is warrior time!”
“Hey, hey. Don’t talk nonsense. Do you want to waste your energy unnecessarily?”

Karin, agreeing with Winnia, pulled on my ear.

“Ouch! Sis, stop! Because the bullshit time is over!”
“Alright.”
“I really can’t stand up to violence…!”

I couldn’t stand up to Karin’s violent affection.

“It’s because Karin is thinking of you. It would be better if you didn’t do such strange things, wouldn’t it?”

Kind Risha came over and caressed my ear.

“But what can I do when I’m happy.”
“Katt. Did it hurt a lot? Karin’s violence isn’t done with bad intentions, so don’t be too hurt.”

Cloudy also said in a tone that seemed to soothe and comfort me.

“See? Do you understand your sister’s intentions now?”
“Yeah, darkie. Darkie really needs to reduce the bullshit.”
“I think so too, sis.”

Risha also seemed to subtly agree.

“Oh dear…”

I don’t know why everyone thinks it’s bullshit. Anyway, let’s move on. I naturally walked over there. Because it’s time to start acting. The girls followed me, and soon we moved away from the soldiers’ outpost.

“Katt-nim… Ah. It should be okay now.”

As if waiting for that, Hilde stopped us.

“I can’t fly right now, so I can’t examine it in detail, but I can still feel it properly. This is definitely the aura of a Demon Gate. I don’t know why, but it’s been summoned somewhere far away.”

The information I knew has been confirmed.

“The location?”
“As always, I can only know the direction. It seems quite far, but I think we need to go straight northeast for now.”
“Good.”

If I know the direction, there’s no big problem.

“Father.”
“Hmm? Why, Ari?”
“The plants are complaining of pain. Because of that 침식, my power probably won’t be very useful if we go that way.”
“It’s contaminated and 벗어나는 from Alaune’s 권능. It’s okay. It’s not a big problem. It’s still okay, right?”
“Yes. This place is fine.”
“Then that’s good.”

There’s nothing to worry about in the first place.

“Anyway, roughly looking at it, it’s a very wide radius, right? They’re fighting like crazy inside. It’s so wide that we probably can’t do it all in a few days, so I think we should go in while subduing the demons appropriately.”
“That’s right. I was going to butcher all the ones I saw anyway.”

There’s no reason to spare them.

Ah. But suddenly, thinking of the word annihilation, I thought of Elise. Elise is probably fighting on the Krassheim side too. I haven’t been able to write letters lately, so it would be nice to meet this time. What? But letters? Surely she won’t say anything about that again, will she? For some reason, I started to feel uneasy, but… it’ll be okay.

Anyway, unfolding the operation map I received from the church, I moved towards the path that the troops don’t usually take. That way, I’ll encounter a few more demons.

* * *

How much time has passed?

Even though we’ve come quite deep, not a single demon has been seen.

“There are no demons at all?”
“I know.”

Winnia nodded at my words.
It’s like they’ve gone extinct.

“Hmm… Could it be.”

Cloudy, tilting her head, said.

“Katt has the power of a demigod, right? Maybe the demons noticed?”
“Damn, is that really why.”

Are the demons avoiding me because they saw my demigod power?

“Ah. That’s probably not it.”

As if correcting my thoughts, Hilde intervened.

“Even I don’t know well unless I focus closely on Katt-nim with my skin touching. So I don’t think that’s the reason, and there’s a high probability that the demons are simply avoiding this way. They’re not stupid either.”

Hilde said that while looking around with a very serious face.

“There’s a limit to hiding your presence… But then, wouldn’t we be able to go straight in without interference?”
“That’s right.”

Liz unni’s words are also correct.