Chapter 34

Chapter 34 – Déjà vu (1)

No sooner had Erin finished speaking than the others began unloading their gear and hauling in the corpses of the succubi.

“Whoa. You really chopped them to pieces.”

“At this point, isn’t this just a massacre?”

The holy knights traded jokes as they gathered the bodies into one place. There were quite a few. Once piled up, the heap rose almost like a small mountain. After tossing on the last mangled remains, they sprinkled holy water over the pile. When someone set it alight, the succubi corpses began to burn with a pale white glow.

It was the purifying fire said to erase all evil from the world.

Neo checked to see if there were any bodies they had missed, then did a final headcount of the deployment. He had already confirmed the numbers before setting out, but an inexplicable unease kept nagging at him, urging him to check again.

And that unease proved correct. There was one more person than when he had last counted.

“Ten,” Neo said slowly, “if the number suddenly goes up, what does that mean?”

“What are you talking about now?” Ten replied.

Ten, who had been tending to his sword nearby, frowned deeply and walked over. Neo kept tilting his head in confusion, then suddenly looked up and spotted someone.

A one-armed holy knight.

Alpher.

The moment Neo and Ten recognized his back, their expressions froze solid.

He was someone who would be of no help even if he did participate in this operation. They had clearly told him not to deploy, so why had he come anyway? On top of that, he was scanning the area with a distinctly gloomy gaze, as if searching for someone in particular. At that moment, Carlisle’s words surfaced unbidden in Neo’s mind.

“That knight kept hanging around the captain’s room, so I said something to him.”

The person Alpher was looking for with those eyes was surely Erin. Before Neo could even begin to question why Alpher was acting this way toward her, he had already stormed up to him and spun him around roughly.

“You were excluded from this deployment. Why are you here?”

“I wanted to avenge my comrades.”

Neo shoved his bangs back as anger surged up.

“…Hey. Do you think this is a joke?”

“Please let me take part in the war.”

His stubbornness was extraordinary. More than that, Neo had a strong, instinctive sense that he absolutely could not let this slide.

He grabbed Alpher by the collar and growled.

“I don’t care if you die. But did you ever think about the others who might get killed because they’re forced to protect you?”

Alpher didn’t answer. Instead, he cast a sidelong glance toward Erin. Neo’s scowl deepened at the sight.

It looked like things were about to escalate, so Ten finally stepped in between them.

“Alpher. You were clearly excluded from this deployment. What nerve did you have to sneak in and join us?”

Alpher stared at where his arm used to be and ground his teeth. For all his stubbornness, he didn’t even offer a single word of apology.

“I just wanted revenge on them.”

“You—”

Neo, standing beside them, raised his fist in a surge of rage, but Ten hurriedly stopped him. It wasn’t to protect Alpher. He was worried that Neo might get hurt if this conflict continued.

Seeming to understand Ten’s intent, Neo ran a hand roughly through his hair, his hand hovering uselessly in the air. Still unable to calm down, he burst out in a rapid tirade.

“Do you have overwhelming holy power that lets you heal others? Can you engrave magical runes well enough to carve protection runes into the knights’ armor?”

Alpher couldn’t say a word and only stared at the ground. He had no such abilities. There was no reason for him to force his way into this deployment.

“What, did you come just to see if the captain would avenge you properly in your place?”

At those words, Alpher flinched and lowered his head even further. Neo ground his teeth and lifted his fist again, only for Ten to stop him in a panic.

Neo stared at Alpher for a moment, then brushed his bangs back.

“The only thing you can do is stay completely still and pretend you’re dead.”

The words were harsh, but there was no helping it. Alpher had snuck in knowing full well that he would be of no help here. If they had forced him to participate, then the fault would be theirs. But this was different.

Alpher bit down hard on his lower lip, then bowed his head deeply.

“Please… at least let me do patrol duty.”

That was the last straw. Neo couldn’t hold back any longer and punched him. He didn’t even help Alpher up as he collapsed to the ground.

Neo spoke with chilling brutality.

“Doing nothing is the only way you’re of any help.”

As expected, Alpher said nothing, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. In that state, what could he possibly do? Neo wiped his face roughly, anger still boiling up inside him.

“Say one more useless thing, and when a monster shows up, I’ll use you as bait.”

With that, Neo walked past Alpher and went off to start patrol.

Ten stood there for a moment, looking awkwardly between Neo’s retreating figure and Alpher, then sighed.

“…Sorry, but I can’t take your side. You’re excluded from all activities, including this patrol. If we find a village with civilians, we’ll leave you there and head out.”

When Alpher said nothing and only kept his head bowed, Ten sighed again. He bent down and whispered close to Alpher’s ear.

“If you understand, at least nod.”

It wasn’t the gentle tone Ten usually used. His voice was far darker than expected, and Alpher flinched instinctively.

“How long do you think I’m going to keep talking nicely?”

There was enough killing intent in his voice that, if Neo had been there, he might have stopped Ten instead. Alpher chewed on his lower lip before finally forcing the words out.

“…Understood.”

It was like forcing someone to bow at swordpoint. Ten let out an irritated sigh and walked past Alpher, heading in the direction Neo had gone.

***

Once even the succubi corpses had been dealt with, it felt like choosing this place as their base had been the right decision after all.

Gabriel stared blankly at the succubi bodies burning in the purifying fire. Erin, who had told him not to cross any unnecessary lines, was now treating him as if he didn’t exist.

“Don’t cross pointless lines.”

Even when she said that, there had been no emotion in her voice. He would have preferred it if she had gotten angrier. If she had raged more, like she wanted to strangle him. At least then, she would have been looking at him.

You spent eighteen years running just to kill me.

How could she change like this overnight?

Lost in thought, Gabriel unconsciously bit down hard on his lower lip. The metallic taste of blood spreading in his mouth finally snapped him back to his senses.

After checking that no one was around, Gabriel reached his hand into the purifying fire.

He felt nothing. The flames that burned away all evil parted around his hand, avoiding it entirely.

His brow furrowed sharply in displeasure.

“Carlisle. Let’s go on patrol.”

At Neo’s call, Gabriel quickly turned and walked over to him. Neo’s expression, however, was far from good.

“Why do you look like that?” Gabriel asked.

“It’s nothing… no, never mind. What’s the point of telling a rookie? Just do what you’re told and don’t do what you’re not. Got it?”

Gabriel glanced past Neo’s shoulder and saw the one-armed holy knight. So he really had snuck in after all.

Whether he caused trouble for the unit or not had nothing to do with Gabriel.

As long as he doesn’t touch Erin.

Still, that knight had harbored ill feelings toward Erin for a while now. He was bound to cause trouble.

Should I just kill him?

But Erin cared deeply about her subordinates. It wouldn’t do to earn her displeasure over something like this.

“By the way, where is the captain?” Gabriel asked.

He looked around, but there was no sign of Erin.

“She went to search the village. We’ll search once more too, then head out.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, and you’ll be with me, along with the other soldiers. That good with you?”

At Neo’s teasing question, Gabriel just smiled it off. To be honest, he wouldn’t be particularly happy no matter who he was paired with, as long as it wasn’t Erin. But if he went with Ten or Chedre, he might end up committing an assassination without even realizing it. All things considered, sticking with Neo was better.

He had never imagined he would end up setting foot in that place he had only watched from afar.

You live long enough, and things like this happen.

As Gabriel surveyed the village, he frowned.

I’ve been sensing a cursed aura for a while now.

Tilting his head, he focused on the suspicious presence around him. It wasn’t the aura of an ordinary monster. It was old, yet undeniably powerful.

Poison? Malefic curse?

Faint, yet unmistakably clear. If it was this strong, it had to be a curse that used humans as its medium.

Gabriel slowly moved toward where the aura was strongest.

“Huh? Carlisle, where are you going?” Neo asked.

“I sense a curse nearby.”

Of all the energies that monsters favored, cursed energy was the most attractive. If someone sensed it, the usual course of action was to head there immediately and purify it. When Gabriel said as much, Neo didn’t question it and followed him at once.

The place they arrived at was unexpected.

It was an arena, standing right in the middle of the village.