Chapter 822 - Bleargh
Light seeped into her face.
Her black hair mixed with the light, and another Esther formed behind her.
However, that Esther was made of lines and shadows and was only black, so it was just called a shadow.
But even the shadow of a beautiful woman is different, as it looked like a work of art that had drawn elegant lines.
"I think some people might come looking for me."
Esther said.
"Who?"
"Those who have fallen into heterodoxy, lost themselves, and been consumed by the truth. Those who are like beasts, yet are trapped in a well of foolishness, believing they are superior to all others."
They were grandiose words.
It was because they were people who were more than deserving of being called such.
Enkrid blinked once and answered.
"So, some half-witted magicians or witches are coming?"
Enkrid's way of summarizing a situation was always first-class.
After a brief pause, Esther let out a chuckle.
Her blue eyes curved beautifully.
It was fine to call them that.
"Yes."
The witch, who had once been a leopard, nodded.
Danger was approaching.
And it was approaching with the sole purpose of targeting her.
'An unnecessary risk.'
For her, it was a threat that would follow her for her entire life, but not for this man.
Was there any reason for him to take on such a risk?
Should she place an even greater burden on the side of one who was already being visited by a demon's subordinates?
In a similar situation, Shinar had left alone and had almost become a demon's bride.
They might be half-witted magicians or witches, but an ignorant person is always more dangerous when they are completely fixated on one thing.
They were like that.
They were things that had fallen into heterodoxy and believed that only the truth they believed in was the one and only.
By experiencing Fantasia, Esther had built a new world of spells.
Nevertheless, she had judged them to be a threat.
Esther could separate all this threat from Enkrid and eliminate it.
All she had to do was leave the Border Guard.
The golden sunset shone on the face of the man who had eyes of a similar color.
Esther's gaze did not leave his face.
The harmony of orange and gold made the man's face look more radiant than usual.
'A face that eight out of ten city women would fall for.'
Esther knew that letters from noblewomen were still coming.
If they were to see this face now, all of that would feel like a natural course of events.
That Enkrid, with the same gaze he had been using to look at the golden sunset, met Esther's eyes and spoke.
"Right. I'll fight with you."
It was a simple, firm, and steadfast answer.
Words that left no room for rebuttal.
"What?"
Esther asked back.
"Weren't you about to say that?"
Enkrid's gaze was still on the golden sunset.
"That's right."
Esther was not flustered.
She did not try to persuade him.
She simply affirmed.
It was the answer that had already been given when she had asked if she was also behind his back.
She could deal with those who had fallen into heterodoxy even if she left the Border Guard alone.
However, it would take a very long time.
And during that time, she would have to leave this man's side.
Esther now knew what she desired.
'Not a person who stands and walks alone.'
Just as her master had looked at the stars, Esther had found those who would adorn her life.
They were people.
Friends.
Acquaintances.
There were those who looked at her and learned spells, and there was a merchant who would hand her marmalade with a simple smile.
They had all become her purpose.
Spells were just a means, not the end.
The man who had dreamed of becoming a knight had become a knight, but he had not stopped.
Because his desire was not to be a knight, but something that could only be achieved by becoming one.
'But that's not to say that exploring spells isn't fun.'
There was no law that said one must distance oneself from the world just because they explored magic.
There was even less need to lock oneself in a small room to research, or to build a cabin in the forest and hide.
Magicians were associated with two disasters.
One was bringing forth the demon called Father of the Dead, and the other was unleashing the beast made of flames called Salamander.
Though the Demon Realm Holy Land Cult had been the main culprit in the summoning of the fiery beast, had there been no hand of a spellcaster in it?
That history had made them hide.
"Burn them to death."
There had even been a time when burning witches or magicians to death had been in vogue.
Of course, anyone who had at least become a 'Seer' wouldn't have been easily taken down, so it was an affair where more innocent people had died.
Esther thought.
'There is no need to walk the same path as everyone else.'
The ideology created from the experiences of the magicians and witches of the past—that is, of the previous era—had lost its meaning to her.
'Handling the world of spells is fun.'
The act of exploring knowledge and realizing something new made her feel a thrilling elation.
She enjoyed the act of wielding spells itself, but she left the means as a means.
That was why there was no hesitation in the steps she took toward what she truly desired.
The two of them stood side by side, watching the setting sun.
The color of the sunset slowly changed.
A purplish hue mixed in, and the orange light became like a line, touching their faces.
"What are you two doing?"
And then the elf came too.
It was a wonder why he was laughing at the words of someone who had just shown up out of the blue.
It was Shinar, who had approached with nimble steps.
As Enkrid laughed, Shinar spoke again in a nonchalant tone.
"I feel like I'm looking at a fiancé who tries to get through a difficult situation with a laugh."
The elf who could not speak lies knew how to distort the truth.
It meant that her words were a distortion of what she saw, pretending it was the truth.
"How is your body?"
The final kick that had killed Beelrog had been hers.
"I am all better now. If you wish, I can confirm it for you in bed."
The level of her jokes had risen.
Enkrid also listened to that with a laugh.
And so, the sun set.
The gold turned to orange, showed a faint purple, and then deepened, transforming into indigo.
After the sun had disappeared, Rem brought some precious liquor from somewhere and started a drinking party.
For some reason, everyone gathered and took their places.
"This is a party to commemorate my return."
Shinar said.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Did you hurt your head?"
Rem retorted, and Krais began to grill a whole pig that he had marinated, saying he had prepared a barbecue.
"Let me tell you the tale of the most handsome man in the West."
Rem, who had drunk his fill, began to spin a tale based on his imagination.
Enkrid listened intently.
Stories were always fun.
No matter how absurd the story, the man named Enkrid was one who found enjoyment in it.
Jaxen, hearing Rem's words, let out a chuckle.
The real deal was always at ease.
"It is presumptuous of me to say this, but the god of war is generous in matters of love, and he did not tell us to cast away the opposite sex who approaches us."
Audin joined in on this.
He, too, was in the middle of bringing up a story from his youth.
"Is it the story of meeting a female bear?"
Fel asked, his cheeks flushed, as if he had brought some truly strong liquor.
Enkrid briefly looked at his face.
Wasn't this a face he might not see again after today?
A moment ago, Fel had spoken like Rem.
That was a crime for which he could be beheaded without a word of complaint.
"Do you wish to go to the Lord's side, brother?"
At Audin's words, Fel blinked for a moment.
For a moment, it seemed as if he had sobered up.
"Ah, it's fine."
Rem, seeing that, chuckled and spoke.
He was telling him to admit that he was a bear beastkin.
Audin swung the side of his hand, and Rem caught it with his bare hand.
It was like horseplay.
The strong liquor didn't seem to be just any strong liquor.
Everyone was getting drunk.
"They said you'd die if you drank this every day."
Rem said in the middle of it, waving his hand in the air.
It was about the liquor he had brought.
"Hah! Anxiety? Worry? I'm not a person who does that, huh? Tell all the demon bastards to come! I'll kill them! Me!"
Even Krais was drunk.
Enkrid calmly watched it all.
"Let me sing a song. Now, everyone, clean your ears and listen."
Teresa suddenly got up and sang.
In her light attire, the muscles of her forearms were revealed.
This woman was a half-giant.
She had enough power to hit an opponent with those forearms and fists and use the sound as an instrument.
But her voice was incredibly pleasant to listen to.
The hoarse sound was scratchy, yet clear.
Should it be called a dual-natured voice?
He was reminded of when he had drunk the Founding Liquor.
A truly good liquor had been strong, yet subtle.
Her voice was like that.
The song Teresa sang was called Wandering Jack.
The lyrics were slightly different, but it was a song sung all over the continent.
It was a story about a friend named Jack finding his true love and settling down.
Her voice, spreading subtly, relaxed the tension in his entire body and made him feel limp.
Audin had called it a holy chant, a Chant, had he?
She had used her holy power while drunk.
Just by listening to that song, a part of the fatigue that had built up in the body was dispersed.
She was showing off all sorts of tricks while drunk.
"Why is everyone so weak to alcohol?"
Ropord shook his head, took off his shoes and placed them to one side, then took off his pants, folded them, and began to prepare for sleep in a corner of the training grounds.
"And why is everyone doing this in front of my room?"
Ropord clicked his tongue and lay down.
Though it was the ground, not his bed nor his room, he muttered that the bed was soft.
He fell asleep just like that.
No one stopped him.
There was no one to stop him.
Ragna had been sipping his drink and had already fallen asleep.
It was a strong liquor, so much so that even Enkrid, a naturally strong drinker, felt his head spin.
Even after the sunset, the starlight was bright today.
On the land illuminated by the moon and stars, Esther blocked the approach of night insects with a spell.
Shinar, while drunk, revealed her ambition to have twenty children.
Luagarne dug a hole in the ground and lay down in it.
"This is nice."
She seemed to be enjoying the moisture rising from the earth.
A demon's subordinate had visited.
And yet, everyone was the same.
Enkrid was not a fool.
And he was not ignoring the current situation either.
In the place he had reached after passing the stopping point, something even greater had welcomed him.
There were demons in the Demon Realm, and the continent was still rife with threats.
They were enemies that couldn't even be compared to the likes of the Thieves' Guild or the Gnol Colony.
Naurillia had a greedy enemy called the south.
The schemes of the southern spies in the capital alone were proof that the threat was more vivid than before.
Esther had spoken of the existence of an unpleasant group that was coming for her.
Tomorrow, several absurd monster colonies might suddenly charge, aiming for this place.
It was also possible for famous monsters from history and legend to suddenly appear.
All of that could have grown into a tree of anxiety, but not a single person was discomposed.
Upright and proper, they just lived out the today.
"Phew, that crazy barbarian brought some crazy liquor. A crazy captain. A crazy day, but a crazily good day too."
Seeing even Jaxen get drunk and say this, it was a day that was hard to call composed.
Enkrid laughed.
Because they did not dwell in today but moved toward tomorrow.
There was no today that was not precious.
The reason this moment he had just enjoyed was precious was probably because it was a today that would not return.
From the moment he had first faced the repetition of today until now, Enkrid had not changed.
He was the same.
He closes his eyes, enjoys the peace, and resolves to gift this peace to everyone who stands behind his back.
Enkrid, who had fallen asleep drunk like that, realized he was on a swaying ferry boat, leaned his body halfway over the boat.
"Bleargh."
"...In all my life, this is the first time I've seen someone vomit on this boat. What on earth did you drink?"
It had been a liquor so strong that it had intoxicated not just the body, but the spirit as well.
Enkrid let out a breath, and then felt the effects of the alcohol subsiding.
It was because he had drunk so much before falling asleep, but this place was the world of the mind, a dream invited by the Ferryman.
Therefore, there was no way he could be drunk.
And yet, he had retched first.
This was like a conditioned reflex.
The swaying ferry boat, amidst the strong liquor and the hazy night, had seemed to turn his stomach.
"Hooah."
Enkrid let out a long breath.
"It seems to smell of liquor."
The Ferryman said.
Today's Ferryman was gentle.
Should he say he was softer and kinder than ever before?
It just felt that way.
***
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