The snow fox, who had pretended to be a snow bear by fluffing up his fur to survive, relaxed comfortably.
Deon noticed the blood on his arm and couldn't resist Ben's stubbornness, so he turned around and spoke. In contrast to his easy-going manner of speaking, his steps were graceful, as if he had already become accustomed to them.
"From now on, I will calculate the promised half-day. If you want to rest for a long time, it would be better to organize it quickly."
"...!"
The movements of the frozen demons became busy again.
When Deon finished cleaning up, he sat a little away from them, leaving a message telling them to settle down in a suitable place and rest. A perfect spot to watch as the poor were eliminated before they can even reach them.
With the box still tightly held in his arms, he sat down on the stone where Dan had placed a handkerchief and took out a cigarette...
"No medicine, Deon!"
... And then it was confiscated.
Red eyes turned to Ben without hiding their bewilderment.
"Weren't you here to check my arm? I know it's okay just to look at it, but let's go, shall we?"
"Ah, when you became a hero, your body was transformed, so the signal from the magic stone necklace was cut off. I have to extract new blood and recreate it..."
"I don't think you need to do that. Even if I get hurt, I get better quickly."
He shrugged his shoulders and gestured to the arm that Dan was wiping. Ben winced as the blood was wiped off and his unscathed arm was revealed.
"... I am Deon's doctor."
"That's true, but you no longer need to cling to me and treat me as much as before."
"Still, in the end, I am still responsible for Deon's health, so it also doesn't change that I need a way to know the patient's condition in real time."
"Well... do whatever you want."
He tried his best to make sure he didn't go in vain.
Most of the wounds will have already healed before Ben arrived. But if he insisted on it, he can't stop him.
He obediently held out his cleaned arm. Ben, who vigorously stabbed him with a small knife, looked stunned for a moment.
"... It heals right away even before the blood comes out."
"I told you. I think you don't have to."
"... I will make the wound a little deeper."
After several attempts, he was finally able to collect blood.
Ben, who Deon thought was going to check on his healed arm right away without any need to stop the bleeding, suddenly got down on one knee right in front of him.
His hand touched one of his thighs.
"You must have been taking medicine the whole time I was away."
"..."
"At least I told you not to let it burn your body. Do you mind if I check it?"
"No."
"..."
Ben's expression hardened.
"You did it."
"It's okay because I became a hero and everything healed."
"Deon."
Ben lifted his exposed arm. An arm without a wound but with countless scars was exposed under the light.
"Looking at this, it is assumed that the wounds suffered when becoming a hero may have healed without leaving any scars, but the previous scars still remain."
You probably know best.
He spoke back with his eyes and let out a dull sigh when he received no response.
"I guess there's one more scar. No, not just one, but many."
"Okay, it's just a scar. I had a lot of scars before I met you, so adding a few more won't make a difference."
To be honest, he didn't know why Ben was being so sensitive.
When it came to wounds, he could also be sensitive as a doctor. But wasn't it a scar that had already healed? It's also a very small cigarette burn mark.
Did he notice Deon's doubts?
"Deon."
Ben frowned.
"Scars are memories."
"..."
"If a scar remains, every time you see it, you are reminded of the situation and emotions that occurred at the time of the injury. It's a scar, so it won't be a very good memory."
Moreover, the scars left on Deon's thighs were left by himself and not by anyone else.
He will never forget what thoughts and emotions he had.
He didn't dare understand Deon's feelings, but... Ben boldly spoke as a doctor who was concerned about Deon Hardt's physical and mental health.
"It's enough that the wounds caused by bad thoughts and emotions to remain in one's mind."
In fact, it was not enough and even that alone would be overwhelming. Therefore.
"Don't bother leaving a scar on your body. I don't want bad memories etched into Deon's body."
"..."
There was silence.
He should have left a long time ago. Dan looked at Ben and Deon in turn, as if he was troubled.
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
'Master is loved more than I thought.'
He may think he is alone.
It was truly amazing to receive love in a situation where walls were being built like that.
Because Deon Hardt did not love himself, he did not recognize and did not believe in other people's affection and goodwill toward him. That's why he can't return that affection and favor. If such a situation continued, the person who has been expressing their feelings will also become exhausted and fall out, so it is natural that he will end up in a state of not really being loved.
'Maybe... it's thanks to them that Master has been able to endure until now.'
Thanks to this affection and consideration.
There was a short silence. Deon, who was looking at Ben with his mouth closed, soon closed his eyes and waved his hand.
"I want to get some rest."
"... I will leave for a moment."
Ben glanced at Dan and walked away.
Only after he was out of earshot did Dan roll his eyes and look at Deon again. He took out a black handkerchief from his pocket and was fiddling with it.
He quietly added a word to change the mood.
"Your tone of voice has changed again."
"It's back to normal. I've become stronger. I've become a hero, so it doesn't matter if I'm dignified and rude, right?"
"... Who said that?"
"My Senior."
"As expected..."
Dan sighed. It's not wrong. It's not wrong...
'Stigma, why did that guy say that...'
"To give an extreme example, he said that if I had overwhelming strength, I could swing from the chandelier in the Imperial Palace banquet hall and no one would say anything."
"... It would be better to listen to what he says with a moderate amount of filtering."
He can't tell him not to be friends at all, so he had to say it like this.
Since no one was given the right to discuss other people's relationships, Dan spoke in a carefully purified way. Deon, who read what was inside, chuckled.
"He's a good person."
"He is only good to Master."
"Well, that's true."
He lightly shrugged his shoulders and tightly grasped the black handkerchief he had been fiddling with.
"... Fire."
"Do you want to burn it?"
"Because I don't need it anymore."
"Handkerchiefs have many uses. I think it would be a good idea to keep it with you, just in case."
"If I decide I need a handkerchief, you can give it to me separately. For now, I'm going to burn this."
"... Stubborn."
Even though he was grumbling and sarcastic, Dan steadily put out a fire. Deon, who put a handkerchief to the end, held it still while it was burning, and then dropped it on the snow as Dan, who was frightened, swatted it away.
The remnants of the handkerchief crackled on the snow and disappeared. Red eyes, which were staring at it, turned to Dan, who was holding his hand and looking around.
"Are you crazy?! Don't just hurt yourself because you became a hero!"
"... What."
He thought it would be better to hold it to burn it cleanly.
But if he said this, he'll get nagged more. Deon followed his past experience and instinct and chose to change the topic instead of making excuses.
"I would be better than that."
"... Yes?"
"My value has been confirmed. A hero who stands on the Demon King's side. What could be a more perfect disaster than this?"
Dan, who had been keeping his mouth shut so as not to fall, opened his eyes wide for a moment.
"... Yes. When I think about it, it's clear that you are a disaster."
"... Surely you didn't even forget about this?"
"I forgot about it for a moment."
"What if I wasn't what you wanted me to be?"
"Well. It's a meaningless question, isn't it? In the current situation, it is meaningless to think of Master and the Disaster separately. Whether I serve Master or the Disaster, I am ultimately serving the same person."
He made a reasonably easy remark and stopped.
Since it wasn't the kind of thing to inquire or argue with the assumption of 'what if', Deon looked away without saying anything and took in the organized situation.
Snow was piling up on top of the body against a backdrop of silence, as if the commotion just a moment ago had been a lie.
"... I didn't know you could use religion like this."
"It's definitely... a terrible method. I heard that the Salvation Church is steeped in the idea that the Duke is salvation. Could it have been brainwashing for the present?"
"He is Salvation."
It's so obvious.
He burst out laughing at the honest pseudonym.
"First of all, it must have been a foundation to ensure that his orders were faithfully followed. He put it to good use like this."
It was a grueling but useful method. He got up from his seat. After taking the handkerchief Dan had left on the floor, Deon turned to look at him and slightly raised the corners of his mouth.
"It would be best to take a break. After this break, we're really going to be running non-stop, so it would be a good idea to get as much rest as possible."
"... Coming all the way here was no joke, but it'l be even worse than that...?"
"Of course. We took a long time to get here, right? The Duke seems to be trying to waste our time, but I don't know why, so I can't make it happen as he wants. We're going to run without sleep, so be prepared."
"Oh my god."
Dan groaned.
He didn't know why he felt good when that guy suffered. In response to the silent screams, Deon lowered the corners of his mouth that kept rising and said what he had originally intended to say.
He was holding a box tightly in his arms.
"If you don't like it, it wouldn't be a bad idea to go back to the demon world."
"Follow Master until the end... ha, these are empty words."
Dan, who slapped his own mouth, opened his mouth again.
"It certainly seems like going back would help my survival in other ways, but I won't go back like this. I also have pride."
"I have work to do."
"Oh, if you say so."
Without specifications.
Dan grinned and straightened his posture as if he was giving an order. Instead of giving an order straight away, Deon looked at him blankly.
He once hated receiving a box containing the head of King Rweche's younger brother. Even though it was just a matter of taking it for a moment, he showed blatant refusal. Would such a guy really be able to do what he told him to do?
But even so, the only person he could trust was this guy.
"... Return this safely to my room in the demon realm."
He held out the box he was holding in his arms.
"Not only must there be no damage or problems during the transportation process, but it must not be subject to any shock."
"..."
"Oh, and while you're there, tell Dvelania to find Cruel Hardt's body at all costs."
As the person who saw his last days, the person who survived thanks to him, and the only remaining blood relative in this world, Deon pledged to make sure that Cruel Hardt's body was recovered.
That's why he couldn't take this to the Capitol of the Empire. If he lost it or got it damaged, it was one more thing he'll never be able to forgive himself for. At that time, he may really collapse.
The smile disappeared from Dan's face.
"Thoroughly in this condition."
He reaches out and takes the box. There was no sign of reluctance whatsoever.
"I will take it to Master's room."
"... Okay."
Dan politely held the box and bowed his head slightly.
He knew what this meant to Master. He also heard and knew how the person inside died. In such a situation, there was no way to express rejection simply because it was a 'box with a head in it'.
He was a person who should never be treated carelessly. Dan knew how to maintain the minimum level of goodness and courtesy.
"Thanks."
Deon said in a whisper.