Chapter 81 – Underground Waterway (3)

Major? What major? I know the game prologue well, so if that’s history, then it’s history.

“Oh. History. Along with philosophy, it’s the study of rulers. So, you must know a lot about forgotten ancient wars?”
“…Well, I don’t know.”

…What is that, you history nerd?
Sandra, for some reason, was chattering with a bright face, looking very excited. Ugh, I want to put my finger in those lips. What kind of reaction would she show?

“—So, you see. It’s unclear where the Demon King came from. Some say he came from another world, others say he was born naturally. But his end is relatively well-known… He was sealed with his body and spirit separated. To be precise, only his body was sealed.”

What? You said the body and spirit were separated, but only the body was sealed? Then what about the spirit?

“So, the spirit wasn’t sealed?”
“That’s right.”
“……?”
“There are no records about that. What happened to the spirit is a hot topic in academia.”

…What is this? Why don’t they know anything properly?
After listening to Sandra’s vague history lecture, which ended on an unsettling note, I became curious about the Demon King.

The Demon King. He’s clearly stated as the final boss both in the game and here in reality. Even now, the quest window says to stop the Demon King as a main quest.

But I’ve never actually seen the Demon King. Forget seeing him, I even doubt if he’ll really wake up. It’s been 16 years, and it’s so peaceful. Will the Demon King even wake up?

Even in the game, I barely struggled through the latter half and never saw the ending before being dragged here. I heard that Cha Hyewon was also dragged here on her second playthrough, so of course, she wouldn’t have seen the ending either. In fact, she only played about halfway through on her first playthrough.

It’s frustrating not knowing what kind of enemy he is. At least knowing if he’s melee or magic-type would be a big help. …Please don’t tell me he’s a dirty all-rounder?

“Hmm. The Demon King came from another world?”
“Ah, yes, Governor. Academia speculates it’s the Demon Realm.”
“Demon Realm? Does that really exist?”
“Of course, it hasn’t been proven. But if the Demon King lives in another world, what else could it be but the Demon Realm?”
“Is that so?”

Watching Sandra nod repeatedly in agreement with Cha Hyewon’s questioning tilt of the head… Cha Hyewon is prettier after all. Slurp.

“Why have you been staring so intently since a while ago?”
“I wasn’t looking at you?”
“Ugh, how childish.”
“Didn’t you know? Men are originally childish.”
“Only you are childish.”
“Yeah, I’m childish, childish. You’re just as childish.”
“No, you are.”
“Are you a kid?”

While we were exchanging disses, I saw Irian was looking at Somir, swapping weapons and examining them. Sigh, warriors.

“Let’s get going.”

Relying on Sandra’s faint light orb, we walk through the dark waterway. The moss covering the old stone walls is so black, I’m more afraid of touching the moss than the monsters. There’s so much moss, grime, weeds, and vines on the stone floor that our footsteps are almost silent.

How long have we walked? At a place where the path narrows, the moment I felt something flickering above the trickling water of the waterway.

“There are more. Three this time.”

Somir’s deep voice was trembling. …Is this guy okay? Even if he hates gross things, he shouldn’t be trembling like this when he can’t even see them yet. He’s not going to run away, is he?
Anyway, why are there more and more of them, and the intervals between encounters are getting shorter?

“I’ll take care of it.”
“No, there’s no need to… Let’s use magic to deal with them. Ms. Sandra.”

Somir’s eagerness to step forward seemed strange, so I stopped him. He lowered his head and bit his lip. …What’s up with him?

Sandra nodded, her arms gathering in front of her chest, and her red, plump lips moved rapidly as if muttering something. Soon, dozens of light arrows were created in the air.

“Location?”
“Straight ahead. At the edge of the light… about 10 steps ahead.”

Soon, dozens of light arrows were fired, and a bizarre sound echoed through the waterway. And from the darkness, a dark red figure suddenly sprang out and rushed towards us like an arrow, and at the same time, Somir’s figure shot out as if to meet it.

I don’t know when he dashed out, but in the blink of an eye, Somir’s sword strike flashed past the monster. Somir and the monster passed each other, and the monster, which had fallen in front of the group with a thud, split in two, spilling its contents onto the floor as it writhed.

Even though it was a monster, its internal organs were similar to a human’s: a winding intestine, a throbbing heart, an oval-shaped stomach… Somir’s foot lifted and then slammed down heavily on the monster, which was still struggling with its tenacious life force on top of its own spilled organs.

With an unpleasant noise, the innards were crushed. The monster’s bizarre cry echoed, and then the foot lifted again and began to grind the monster’s innards.

“……Ugh.”

Cha Hyewon’s face, who had been watching, was contorted, and she couldn’t hold it in any longer, quickly turning her head and retching. I stopped Somir, who was kicking the corpse meaninglessly.

“Mr. Somir! Stop it. What are you doing?”
“…Ah. I’m sorry.”

Somir, who was apologizing, had a blank expression, and only his eyes were shining brightly. His strange appearance was so eerie that I was speechless. What the heck? Is he completely crazy?

“I think he’s still excited from the battle. I’ll go calm him down.”
“……Okay.”

I watched Sandra’s back as she approached Somir, patted him, and led him to a corner, then suddenly thought of Cha Hyewon. Is she okay? She was kneeling on the trickling waterway, bending her upper body. I thought she might throw up, but she didn’t.

“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I was just a little surprised.”

Well, yeah. It’s hard to watch with a clear mind, the sight of a monster split in two, spilling its guts and writhing, or the sight of someone kicking and crushing its guts. …But why am I okay? I let out a bitter laugh.

“Calm down. Do you want some water?”
“Yeah. Something cold.”
“Yes, yes. I’ll get you something cold.”

I made some cold water for her to drink, and after a while, she seemed much better. Around that time, Sandra and Somir, who had been whispering in the corner, approached, looking calm.

“I’m sorry. I was too excited… I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

It was hard to say anything to him as he bowed deeply with a stiff face. …If he’s this humble, I guess I should let it go this time. I saw Sandra nodding slightly behind him and said it was okay.

Tsk. I’m still uneasy.

“This one looks a little different.”

Perhaps out of a mage’s curiosity, Sandra scanned the crushed corpse, then suddenly sat down in front of it and began poking it with a twig.

“This is a goblin’s face. I see… Is this the form they take when born inside a goblin?”

Sandra was the only one looking at it with interest; the rest of the group all looked away from the disgusting sight. That girl has a strong stomach. Thanks to her crouching down to examine it, I could at least cleanse my eyes by looking at her ample behind… Cough.

I coughed as I felt a shock to my side, and when I looked, Irian was glaring at me with narrowed eyes.

Oh, what’s this? Is she jealous? Well, Irian’s behind is as good as a South American woman’s. How could I be looking at another woman’s behind when I have such a magnificent Irian’s behind?

……But I can’t touch it. I need to find a chance to touch it subtly, but Irian is in the front line, so I’m conscious of the others. I had no choice but to wait for the next time and just lick my lips.

Fortunately, the underground waterway itself had high ceilings and wide paths, making it comfortable, but the problem was the complex, twisted structure. We had to mark the path we had taken so we wouldn’t get lost, and Somir was in charge of this. I glanced at it, feeling uneasy, and saw that it was full of simple symbols that I couldn’t understand.

The monsters were appearing more and more frequently, but thanks to my dull senses, I could easily deal with them from a distance with magic. Since I was dealing with them from afar, I didn’t have to see their disgusting appearance, and after getting used to killing them, the time became boring.

So, I naturally started talking to Sandra, who was walking next to me, and after a few sporadic exchanges, we were soon having a quiet conversation.

When I showed curiosity about her rare skin color, Sandra smiled bitterly and quietly told me about her birth. She was born into a minority tribe in the southern part of the continent, and after coming to the Empire with her parents, she discovered her magical talent and graduated from the Imperial Magic Academy. By the way, graduates of the academy are required to serve in the Imperial Army, and she is currently in her third year of service.

Is it a similar concept to a modern military academy? Seeing Sandra, who was from a minority tribe that would have been treated as a commoner, or perhaps even less, become a proud Imperial officer and mage, it seems that the military is a stepping stone to success here as well. Still, I don’t want to join the military. Unless it’s absolutely necessary.

“How many years do you have left?”

If this cool lady is willing, I’d be willing to recruit her into the party. She’s Cha Hyewon’s subordinate, but she doesn’t seem interested in her subordinates, so maybe I’ll recruit her once her service is over? A dark-skinned South American lady character would be nice, right?

The problem was that Sandra looked strange at my question and replied like this.

“It’s for life.”
“……?”
“……?”
“For life?”
“Yes. Isn’t that obvious? The Empire gave me the opportunity and education to become a mage, so I’ll serve in the Imperial Army for life. Of course, the treatment isn’t bad, so it’s good.”
“……Ah.”

I feel like the South Korean Ministry of National Defense is conscientious. The Empire guys are amazing. They’re sucking them dry to the bone.
Feeling sorry for her, I patted Sandra on the shoulder.

“Are you seducing me now?”
“……Huh?”
“Huh? Didn’t you know? In the southern tribes, a man putting his hand on a woman’s shoulder means seduction. I thought the knowledgeable Yurian would know that.”

Knowledgeable… I’m knowledgeable about game knowledge, but I can’t go around talking about that. What am I knowledgeable about? …Sex theory honed by porn? The theories I learned from Mr. Shimiken are as good as an expert’s… If I say I’m a sex expert, will I get slapped?

Anyway, could this be… a green light?
It means seduction, but Sandra is still smiling brightly with my hand still on her shoulder… There’s a possibility! It’s all thanks to my face!

I was suddenly plunged into a great dilemma.
Should I say I knew? If a woman is flirting this aggressively, it would be stupid to just let it go… I can’t be a fool who can’t eat even when it’s given to me, of course I knew… At that moment, Irian turned around and our eyes met.

“……I, I didn’t know.”
“Oh, really. That’s too bad.”

……Me too.
I think I just sighed. I’m the one who feels like sighing. …What do you mean sigh? I feel like crying because I’m so disappointed.

I swallowed my tears, glaring at Irian’s twitching behind as she snorted and turned her head again. Damn it. I really want to smack that luscious behind.

“…Sound.”

While walking while staring at her behind, I was startled when Irian suddenly stopped.

“Another monster? Let’s deal with it with magic.”
“No. I hear monster sounds, but… I hear a woman’s voice. It sounds like she’s in pain.”

I focused my divine power on my ears, but I could only hear the sound of water flowing through the waterway. I couldn’t hear a woman’s voice. It seems I can’t hear it due to the difference in physical abilities.

“A woman’s voice… Could it be the monster’s source?”

At Sandra’s mutter, Irian and Somir’s gazes turned sharply towards me. …Their eyes are a bit unsettling.

“Let’s save her.”

Ha. I knew it.