130 – In the Destruction (6)

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As the days passed, Alice became more and more anxious.

I was worried that something might have happened to Eric and that he was safe, but it was clear that if I delayed any longer, I wouldn’t be able to return to Ash and Sylvia by the appointed time.

A week has already passed.

If I could find a horse to ride back, that would be fine, but if I couldn’t, I would have to leave this city behind tomorrow.

“… Okay, let’s calm down and think about it.”

Alice began to calm her mind, which was in turmoil due to tension and worry, and gradually began to organize her complicated thoughts.

First of all, time.

If we were to make a generous calculation, it would be okay to wait another three days or so, assuming that we could get a horse, but if we couldn’t get a horse, we would have to leave tomorrow, or at the very least the day after.

That means, if I wanted to wait for Eric, I had to find a horse by tomorrow at the latest.

But how can you suddenly get a horse in this city that is already little more than a ruin?

I’ve been wandering around the city for the past week already, but I haven’t found a single horse, let alone a single livestock.

It seemed certain that those who had fled the city had already taken the horses, and the remaining livestock had been eaten by the starving.

The second thing to consider was the value of the information Eric would bring.

Eric had gone to investigate the spirit that Ash had told him about.

Since the only clue was the past archmage Malice, Eric must have gone to the city next door where the great castle that Malice had built in one night was located, over 200 years ago.

However, Alice wasn’t sure if the information or something Eric would bring was worth waiting for.

To begin with, Alice still felt that the word spirit itself was very unfamiliar.

I honestly couldn’t be sure whether the strange being that I could only find in the fairy tales I read as a child really existed in this world.

Now, for Alice, the only evidence that the mysterious being known as the spirit actually existed was Ash’s words.

Of course, unless Ash had gone crazy, he wouldn’t have told such an absurd lie.

If he had wanted to trick Alice and Sylvia into subduing the Demon King, he could have come up with any number of other plausible lies, so Alice decided to believe that ridiculous nonsense.

However, Alice was honestly not sure whether information about spirits actually existed in this world in any plausible form, regardless of what she believed.

It was completely unknown whether the information Eric brought would be of any real help in defeating the Demon King.

I had already prepared weapons, armor, and various belongings and consumables.

In fact, if only these items could be safely taken to Ash and Sylvia, it would be possible to at least set off for the Demon King’s castle.

Even if Ash could actually control spirits, Alice honestly didn’t know how much that ability would help her in battle or on her journey, so she folded her arms and lowered her head, beginning to ponder.

The third thing to think about was Eric’s current situation.

If it was a neighboring city, it was a close distance that would only take half a day to walk to and from.

But the fact that Eric still hadn’t shown up could mean that something was seriously wrong.

They said the whole country was in chaos, so it must have been the same for the city Eric was heading to.

I was worried that Eric might have been captured by robbers or looters and either killed or seriously injured.

Alice muttered, crossing her arms and sighing.

“Phew… To sum it up… There are three choices.”

Are you waiting here for Eric?

Are you leaving without waiting for Eric?

Or should we head to the next city to find Eric?

“shit,”

What was most frustrating to Alice was that none of the choices guaranteed a clear outcome.

If we were to think about it objectively, it was clear that the best option was to set off first without waiting for Eric.

If we make Ash or Sylvia wait longer than the promised time, they may move towards the Demon King’s castle first.

Even though the Demon King was weak, honestly, there was no way to know the current level of his power, so Alice and Sylvia had to move at the same time if possible.

If they go separately and their powers don’t reach the Demon King, Sylvia and Alice will be defeated one by one, and then the future of humanity and Ash will all disappear.

However, if something had happened to Eric, or if he had met with disaster while handling a task that Alice had asked of him, it was clear that another heavy burden would be placed on Alice’s mind that would not go away.

Alice thought about it for a long time and finally came to a conclusion.

“I wonder if there are any horses left in the city next door…”

As soon as the sun rises, we will head to the next city.

That was Alice’s choice.

I was worried about Eric, but I was also certain that I would not be able to find a horse anywhere in this city.

If you find Eric, rescue him. If you can’t find Eric, get a horse there and set off.

Alice concluded that.

In order to leave early in the morning, Alice began to pack up the armor, sword, and luggage she had acquired.

At a time like this, carrying around so many things might have made her vulnerable to capture by looters, but a regular band of thieves was no match for Alice, and if she left her things here and they were stolen, it would have been an even bigger disaster, so Alice decided to carry her things and walk.

When she was ready to leave, Alice slowly sat down on the floor and closed her eyes.

Although there wasn’t much time left until the sun rose, I decided it would be a good idea to get some rest since I would soon be walking for several hours without stopping.

Alice began to breathe slowly and evenly, careful not to fall into a deep sleep.

That was when.

“Alice… Rhys.”

“…!”

Alice woke up with a start at the sound of her name being called, her eyes wide open.

The sound was coming from the basement entrance, but no one was actually coming inside.

Alice slowly drew the holy sword from her waist.

A soft light emanating from the holy sword illuminated the entrance to the dark basement.

“…Eric?”

There Eric lay, covered in blood and breathing heavily.

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“If you don’t come, come find me, you heartless brat.”

Let’s heal with divine power. Eric started joking around in a mischievous tone, as if he might live a little.

Alice stared at Eric like that and said with a smirk.

“What are you doing that keeps you so late? I was just thinking about going back to the forest.”

“A bunch of looters came and attacked us, so we had a hard time.”

“Huh, how many were there?”

“I don’t know, maybe thirty.”

After healing all the major fatal wounds left on Eric’s body, Alice, who was removing the remaining minor scratches, responded with an exaggerated expression to Eric’s words.

“Thirty people? That’s amazing. You’ve been fighting for your life against thirty people for a whole week? Man, now you’ve got something to talk about over drinks for the rest of your life.”

Eric said, taking a swig from an old bottle of liquor he had found somewhere in the basement.

“Phew, do you know who I am? How do you fight and win in your thirties?”

“then?”

“I got robbed by thirty men. I spent a week chasing those thirty men and beating them up one by one before I got my things back. Later, I ran away, leaving the men chasing me behind.”

“Aha, so that’s why there was an arrowhead stuck in his back.”

“I pulled out because I was going to pull out a lady, but I guess my instincts still remain. It felt like my back and waist were being burned with a hot iron.”

Alice said, showing the arrowhead she had taken from Eric’s back.

“Thank goodness it wasn’t a dangerous spot, and the muscle has grown back. It was all removed cleanly, so there’s no chance of the flesh rotting away. Don’t worry.”

“Oh, okay, thank you. I’m finally getting to enjoy the benefits of that heart.”

“This kid is real.”

“Kick kick,”

Eric gulped down his drink and then abruptly handed it to Alice.

Alice silently accepted the bottle and took a sip.

Hot liquid with a foul taste flowed down my throat, indicating that it had been stored incorrectly.

I frowned slightly and exhaled through my nose, a strong scent of alcohol wafting out.

“Oh my, is this what you were drinking?”

“I just wanted to drink. You’ve had a hard time.”

“Yeah, yeah, good job.”

Alice asked, shoving the bottle of liquor towards Eric.

“So? What did you bring? After working so hard for a week, it must have been something worthwhile.”

“yes.”

Eric nodded and continued.

“Well, to be blunt, I couldn’t get any information. There was no one to ask, and the library was a total mess. It seemed like there were people carrying books around when the world was going to end. It was the first time I saw the library empty.”

“Well, people who have spent their whole lives chasing knowledge would think that’s important. So what?”

“ruler,”

Eric put down a few small items wrapped in cloth from his bosom.

Alice lifted them up and asked, peeling back the cloth.

“What is this?”

“I don’t know either.”

“uh?”

Eric said, taking a swig from his bottle.

“I just took everything from the Malice mansion.”

“…”

Alice asked back with a look of bewilderment.

“If it’s the Malice Mansion… aren’t these all relics? Are they still there?”

“The traps were set double and triple with magic. I even looked at the corpses scattered around to see if there were any traps or not.”

“I see… but what about you?”

Eric said with a grin.

“Because it’s me, kid.”

“Huh, the king of thieves has been kidnapped.”

“Well, that must be why the looters who were after those relics came in such droves.”

Alice nodded as she listened to Eric.

Before she knew it, Alice had taken off all the cloth from the object she was holding, and there in her hand was a small bracelet with a blue gem set into it.

Eric glanced at the bracelet and exhaled, his breath heavy with the scent of alcohol.

“That was in the largest relic box, it’s called Malice’s bracelet. Why is it that it’s always decorated with Malice statues and paintings? That’s it.”

“…this?”

“I heard it was something like… huh…”

Eric put down the bottle and spoke, racking his brain as if trying to recall a memory.

“Do you have the power to raise the dead?”

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